Forgotten
by EmoStarlette
Summary: Life is pleasant. Death is peaceful. It's the transition that's troublesome. 14 year old Adina Brown leaves her boarding school in New York to join her family in Colorado.
1. The Call

Adina Brown suddenly awoke from a horrible dream. A bead of sweat flowed down her face, and her face was hot and damp from the tears that had sprung from her clear blue eyes. Abruptly, she came to the realization, that the dream was more the a nightmare. It was a memory. She looked around the room, Sarah, her roommate, was still sleeping soundly, and it was then Adina remembered what happened. Her mother had really died. Feelings of sorrow and guilt clouded her mind, and she laid back down, hoping to get in a few more hours of sleep before class began. Moonlight caught on the silver picture frame next to her bed. She glanced at it, studying the picture of her and her family before her mother's death. One last tear rolled down her cheek, before she drifted into a restless sleep.  
  
The school bell clanged noisily, and Adina quickly ran to her next class. She took her seat towards the back, next to her best friend Isabel. Adina let out a sigh of relief, and opened her history book, as Isabel gave her a disapproving glance. The was the one thing that was different between Adina and Isabel. Isabel was always so serious, and school meant the world to her, where as Adina was more frivolous, and took her studies lightly.  
  
"Ok, class, let's begin. Who can tell me where we left off yesterday?" Mrs. Christensen asked, her high-pitched voice making Adina cringe,"Miss Brown?" A look of horror crossed Adina's face. She had spent the day before drawing in her notebook.  
  
"Uh...,"Adina began. She looked over at Isabel who mouthed "The fall of the Russian Empire" to her.  
  
"The fall of the Russian Empire?" Adina asked, biting her bottom lip.  
  
"Very good Miss Brown," Mrs. Christensen congratulated before going on. Another sigh of relief escaped Adina, before she whispered "thank you" to Isabel.  
  
Soon enough, school had ended, and the students were allowed to go back to their rooms. The perks of boarding school were you could do whatever you wanted for a few hours, and if you were an upperclassmen you could even go off-campus for meals. Unfortunately, Adina was still a ninth grader and had two years left before she'd have those privileges. She walked slowly back to her dorm, taking the view of the courtyard in, and letting the warm New York sun heat her soft skin. A light breeze swept her honey colored hair behind her, and she shut her eyes and just stopped, relishing the feeling of joy spring brought her. Suddenly, she felt a hand tap her shoulder. She whirled around, to find her friend Chris.  
  
"Hey Chris, you scared me a little," Adina greeted, continuing on the path to her dorm.  
  
"Hey D, you know one of these days the principal is going to bust you for wearing your uniform like that," Chris replied, glancing at her uniform. Adina looked down at her outfit, seeing that Chris was referring to her skirt being shorter than regulations and her belly button peeking out from under her crisp white shirt.  
  
"Yeah, probably, but hey, what's the fun in following the rules?" Adina asked playfully, as she entered her building.  
  
"I agree. So, I was thinking we skip tomorrow, have our roomies report us sick, and then go out for the day," Chris proposed, waiting for Adina's reply.  
  
"Sounds good to me," She finally agreed, "See ya at dinner!" Adina waved goodbye and walked up the stairs to her room. She swiftly opened the door to her room, and collapsed on the couch. The dorms were small, but accomidateing. Sarah and her had been able to fit both their beds, a computer, a couch, a TV, and a mini-fridge all in the small space they were given. They each had a closet of their own, and a rickety shelving unit. Sarah turned around to face Adina. She was holding the phone to her ear, and grinning at Adina.  
  
"It's your dad," Sarah said, raising her eyebrows. Adina wacked her and grabbed the phone. Her stomach flip flopped, since her dad rarely called her unless there was trouble.  
  
"Hello?" Adina asked, trying to sound cheerful.  
  
"Hello Sweetie, how are you?" Sure enough it was her father.  
  
"I'm good, how're you?" Adina hated pointless chit-chat, but she knew her father would get to the point sooner or later, so she just waited it out.  
  
"Great. So are your brother and sister. They're doing quite well here," Her father answered, proudly, as if everything he had done wrong as a father was compensated for. Adina rolled her eyes, and crossed her legs.  
  
"Cool," Adina answered, still faking a happy voice, "So, what's up?"  
  
"Well I was thinking, since your spring break is coming up, you should join us here in Everwood, instead of going to your grandparents as usual," Her father announced, a hint of excitement in his voice. Adina's stomach finally eased, and her heart took a regular pace. Here she was waiting for some horrible news, and all her dad wanted was for her to come home for spring break.  
  
"Um sure Dad," Adina responded, "When do I come?"  
  
"I got it cleared with your principal for you to stay a whole extra week," He told her. Adina heard the smoke alarm go off in the background, and Delia's voice, "Well I have to be going, your grandparents will pick you up on Monday and take you to the airport, then someone will pick you up after your flight gets in."  
  
"Ok," Adina confirmed, "Love ya, and see you then."  
  
"I love you too, Ady," He responded before hanging up. Adina winced as he called her by her child-hood nick name. Her mom had called her Ady when she was little, and ever since she had gotten flack from her friends and brother when ever she was called that.  
  
"What was that all about?" Sarah asked as she played a game of solitaire on their computer.  
  
"Oh, my dad just wants me to go to Colorado for spring break," Adina explained, opening the window.  
  
"You're going to Colorado? I thought you were going to stay in New York so we could go to that party that hot senior is having!" Sarah exclaimed, turning around abruptly.  
  
"Well I wasn't going to say no," Adina replied, "You'll be fine with out me. I'll go to the next one." Sarah sighed, and went back to her game.  
  
Adina turned the radio up a little, and looked out the rain streaked window. Huge raindrops splashed against the car, as the windshield wipers squeaked and squealed. Adina's mother, strained her eyes, trying her hardest to see out of the window. As she turned into the next lane, the car went spinning out of control. Adina screamed, and she grabbed for her mother, who was desperately trying to regain control. A loud honk blasted, and suddenly, Adina felt someone shaking her. Her eyes blinked open, and she realized she was still on the plane to Colorado. The woman sitting next to her had woke her, to inform her they were about to land. Adina quickly unbuckled her seat belt and grabbed her things a few minutes after the plane landed. Outside the terminal, she could see her father standing near the window waiting for her. He already had her luggage, and a couple cups of coffee with him. She jogged over to him.  
  
"Hey pops," She greeted, remembering that he hated when she called him that. He greeted her back, and embraced her in a warm hug. She smiled and hugged him back, happy to feel safe and content. "Wow, Adina, you've grown a lot since I saw you last," Her father commented, taking a good look at her. She grinned and grabbed her luggage.  
  
"From what I remember, you are an avid coffee drinker," He said, handing her a coffee. She nodded, and took a sip, letting the hot liquid warm her throat.  
  
"Yup, coffee is a definite staple along with my daily pack of cigs," Adina replied, as they made their way to the entrance. A priceless look of horror spread across her father's face, causing her to burst out laughing.  
  
"Just kidding," Adina laughed, patting him on the shoulder," Adult humor, you wouldn't get it." He shook his head and chuckled, as they walked out off the airport. 


	2. Missing Melodies, forgotten steps

Disclaimer  
  
I don't own Everwood (though I desperately wish I did) all I own is Adina, and her friends, who are all fictional. This story is copy written by takeitandyourdead publishing inc. located in seriouslyi'llslapyou-ville.  
Delia sat at the kitchen counter with her head resting in her hands. She watched the hands on the clock slowly tick by, and let out a whine of boredom.  
  
"Ephram?" Delia grumbled, "When are the going to get here?" She walked over to her brother and sat down next to him on the couch. He was watching TV, and throwing around a hacky sack.  
  
"Settle down Delia, it takes a long time to drive from Denver to here," Ephram explained, flipping through the many channels.  
  
"It's been almost three hours since her flight would have gotten in, they should be here by now," Delia whimpered, getting frustrated from all the anticipation building up inside her. Ephram laughed at her and ruffled her hair.  
  
"They'll get here soon, just don't worry about it so much," Ephram told her. Delia sighed and glanced at the clock once again. Her ears perked up as she heard a car door slam in the driveway. Delia's eyes lit up and she scampered towards the door and ran outside. Ephram followed her out, and watched as Delia ran over to Adina and hugged her. Adina nearly fell over, but regained her balance, and embraced her younger sister back.  
  
"Hey kiddo," Adina greeted, giving Delia a kiss on the cheek, "How've you been?" Adina smoothed out her knee length black lace skirt, which Delia had wrinkled, and listened to Delia tell her in depth about everything she had missed out on.  
  
"Wow, sounds like a lot has happened here," Adina replied cheerfully. She looked up to see Ephram approaching.  
  
"Hey bro," Adina said as she stood on her tip toes to give her older brother a hug, "What's new with you?"  
  
"Not much, how about you? Have you added anything to your criminal record since we left?" Ephram smirked at her, and she playfully smacked the back of his head. She swept her hair behind her ear, and studied the house. It wasn't anything too fancy, but at least it was a hell of a lot bigger than her dorm. She followed, Delia inside, where she was given the "grand" tour. As they walked around the house, she noticed that there were hardly any pictures of her. Being a middle child, she had always felt a little "attention deprived" but this really hurt. Upon entering the room she'd be sharing with Delia, she put her bag on her bed, and laid down. I had been a long day, and she wanted nothing but to be able to just be alone for a few minutes. Delia sat on her own bed and watched. Adina could feel eyes on her, and she wasn't surprised at all to see Delia watching her.  
  
"Hey Delia, I think I'm going to go take a shower, can you get me a towel?" Adina smiled at her younger sister, who showed her to the bathroom and handed her a towel. Adina turned the water to hot, and got in. She closed her eyes, as the warm drops heated her skin. It would have been so much easier to stay in New York, to be spared the pain of seeing her family again. Life had never been easy on her, but it was here life, and she could do nothing but live it.  
Adina was reading a magazine in her room, when she noticed the familiar sound of the piano. A smile spread across her face and she jogged down the stairs. Sure enough, Ephram was in the living room playing. She had longed to hear him play for almost a year, since he had stopped after their mother died. Adina took a seat on the couch, and intently listened. He carefully played the final notes of the song, and sighed.  
  
"Bravo," Adina stood and clapped. Ephram spun around to find his younger sister leaning on the couch.  
  
"What are you doing down here?" He asked, surprised that she was there.  
  
"Listening to you play. When did you start again?" Adina asked, happy that her brother was once again sharing his gift.  
  
"I don't know, a few weeks ago I guess," Ephram answered.  
  
"Well, you should have never quit. Your too good to give it up," Adina replied, folding her arms against her chest.  
  
"What about you? Have you started dancing again?" He asked. Adina's smile turned to a frown, and she turned her attention to the floor.  
  
"I take that as a no," Ephram continued,"I know why I quit playing piano, but why did you quit ballet?"  
  
"I don't know. After mom....died...I never really had any reason to do it anymore," Adina answered, looking back at Ephram.  
  
"I thought you wanted to be a famous dancer," Ephram replied "Dancing was all you used to talk about."  
  
"That was mom's dream for me, not my own. I just loved it because I figured she wanted me too," Adina explained. 


	3. A New View

Forgetting what it's like to fight when no one understands  
  
Close call there in the shadows  
  
There's a fear in the dark  
  
There's one out there  
  
All those memories, pain and anger, flood back one by one  
  
They must be just around the bend, they always come  
  
At night as I lay sleeping they come to me in herds  
  
Their lies remain, the dreams the same, it's only fleeting words  
  
No one calls there in the shadows  
  
There's no end to the dark  
  
But there's one out there, no one but me....  
Sorry it too so long to get the second chapter uploaded. I wasn't going to continue the story until my friend begged me to keep writing.  
  
Adina looked at herself in the long, glass mirror. Black bags hung under her eyes, and the scar next to her collarbone hadn't seemed to fade at all. Her body hadn't felt like hers since the accident. The pink scars seemed like they'd never leave, and the dark circles under her blue eyes were new to her. She grabbed her concealer, and smoothed it under her eyes.  
  
"Hurry up Addie, we're going to Mama Joy's for breakfast, and then we're going to Rocky Moutain National Park," Delia announced as she put on her Rockies baseball cap. Adina quickly pulled on her old, blue sweatshirt her mother had bought her when they went to the Jersey shore for vacation.  
  
"Ok Lia," Adina responded, as she followed her little sister out the door,"Hey, do you always wear those hats?"  
  
"Yup," Delia answered, as she led the way to Main Street.  
  
"You know what? Tomorrow I'll go pick some stuff up, and will have a girl's night. I'll give you a facial, and a manicure, and do your hair....." Adina was the girlie type, much different then her tom-boy sister. Ephram laughed at her from behund.  
  
"Good luck," Ephram chuckled, as he caught up with his younger sisters.  
  
"Hey, it'll be fun. Don't listen to him, Delia, you'll love it," Adina replied, looking at Delia's unsure face.  
  
As the entered Mama Joy's, Ephram spotted Laynie. *Oh great* he thought to himself. Laynie looked up at him from across the room. At first, he thought she was looking at him, but then he noticed she was really starring at Adina, who was standing next to him. Adina's eyes studied the room, and then wondered into Laynie's direction. Her mouth suddenly dropped, and her eyes widened.  
  
"Laynie?" She asked loudly, a smile spread across Laynie's face, as she rose and began to walk towards Adina. They embraced eachother in a quick hug, before parting.  
  
"Adina, what are you doing here?" Laynie asked in amazement.  
  
"Oh, I'm just visiting my family for Spring Break," Adina answered.  
  
"Is Ephram your brother?" Laynie asked raising an eyebrow.  
  
"Yup, my annoying, brother. You know him?" Adina responded, as they sat down in Laynie's booth.  
  
"You could say that," Laynie answered. She was happy to see her old roommate from boarding school, but shocked that she was related to her "ex".  
  
"Well, Laynie, I've gotta be going, maybe I'll see you around," Adina said, as she got up to join her siblings.  
  
The mountains were beautiful. This had to be Adina's favorite part of the trip so far. New York didn't have anything that could compare, well it had the Catskills, but they wearn't nearly as grand, as breathaking as what she was looking at.  
  
"It's great, huh?" Ephram asked.  
  
"Oh yeah it's great," Adina said, still in awe.  
  
"Well we have to be getting back, Dad's picking us up at the parking lot," Ephram explained.  
  
"Ok," Adina answered, her eyes still glued to the mountains. As he studied his sister he noticed something, she was a lot smaller and more tired than he had remembered her. Before their mother died she had been the loud, obnoxious one. Now, she was somewhat reserved, and quiet, almost shy.  
  
"Are you alright, you seem kind of different," Ephram said, instantly wishing he hadn't. Adina jumped off the rock she had been sitting on.  
  
"I'm ok," Adina said nodding, as she began walking down the trail. 


	4. Life always screws us over

Somehow the longing is so far away The innocence so wasted and aware And look at the child with the dream in her eyes Holding it deep inside her Thinking about Home... Home... So much anger so deeply ingrained Seemed a burden that was hers alone She didn't think that there was anything wrong With wanting a life that she could call her own How could I explain? You would not want to hear You wouldn't listen if I talked anyway For you were too weighed down by your own fears And look at the child with the dream in her eyes -home by Sarah McLachlan  
  
"Adina?" Andy shouted from the kitchen. Adina quickly scrambled into the peasant top she found at the bottom of her suitcase and skipped down the stairs. Today was her last day in Everwood, and she couldn't be happier to be returning to New York.  
  
"Yeah Dad?" She asked, she was almost feeling cheerful.  
  
"I have a surprise for you," Andy responded, handing her an envelope. She smiled, and opened it. After seeing what was inside, she wasn't as happy as she had been.  
  
"A plane ticket to Colorado?" Adina asked, confused.  
  
"Yes, since you were having such a great time here in Colorado, I decided instead of just staying here for Spring Break, you should move here permanently," Andy said happily.  
  
"Oh," Adina replied, she felt as if she had gotten all the wind knocked out of her.  
  
"Everything's been arranged. I talked to the head mistress at your school, and all your stuff is on it's way," Andy went on, "So all you have to do is go back and pick up your clothes, and say goodbye to all your friends." Adina nodded, and put on an artificial smile.  
  
"Thanks Dad," Adina said, before returning to her room.  
  
"God, can my life get anymore fucked up?" She mumbled to herself.  
  
A/N Sorry it's short. Oh and I just noticed I haven't put a disclaimer on this so here it is: I don't own Everwood, or it's characters (though someday Gregory Smith will be mine!). However I do own Adina, her friends, and this story. 


	5. I will remember you

I will remember you  
  
Will you remember me?  
  
Don't let your life pass you by  
  
Weep not for the memories  
  
Remember the good times that we had?  
  
I let them slip away from us when things got bad  
  
How clearly I first saw you smilin' in the sun  
  
Wanna feel your warmth upon me, I wanna be the one  
  
I will remember you  
  
Will you remember me?  
  
Don't let your life pass you by  
  
Weep not for the memories  
  
"This isn't one of your stupid pranks is it?" Sarah asked, trying to help Adina stuff all her clothes in her itty bitty suitcase.  
  
"I wish it was," Adina answered. Sarah grabbed Adina's hands and turned so she was facing her.  
  
"Promise me you'll visit, and write, and call, and email?" Sarah pleaded, trying her hardest not to cry.  
  
"I promise, as long as you do the same," Adina replied, pulling Sarah into a hug.  
  
"Room for one more?" Isabel asked from the doorway. Adina and Sarah laughed and nodded. Isabel smiled, and hugged her two best friends. Adina was furious that her dad was takeing her away from this, her family, her friends, her life. She loved her dad, and her brother and sister, but her friends were her family too.  
  
"I'm already saving up to visit you for Thanksgiving break," Isabel announced, brushing away a tear. Isabel never cried, so this was something new. Isabel's theory was that crying didn't help at all, it just took up valuable time you could be using to solve your problem, but here she was in an all out sob.  
  
"Why are you two so sad? It's not like I'm dieing! We'll see eachother again. We'll all be together at NYU, and maybe I'll spend next summer up here," Adina consoled her friends. They nodded, trying to wipe the tears out of their red puffy eyes.  
  
"Adina!" Chris shouted, as he caught up with Adina, who was carrying her suitcase to a taxi waiting outside next to the curb.  
  
"Hey," Adina greeted, happy she had gotten a chance to see him before she left.  
  
"I heard you were leaving, it's true isn't it?" Chris asked, hurt in his eyes. Adina nodded sadly.  
  
"Yeah, my dad wants me to move in with them in Colorado," Adina explained.  
  
"That sucks," Chris replied, stuffing his hands in his pockets,"If you send me your address, I'll write you."  
  
"Sure, that'd be great," Adina smiled.  
  
"I'm gonna miss you, we all are," Chris said, looking into her eyes.  
  
"I'm gonna miss all you guys too," Adina replied. Chris embraced her in a tight hug.  
  
"Take care of yourself," Chris told her, as he let her go.  
  
"I will," Adina promised, trying not to cry for the 6th time that day. She continued on her way to the taxi. Chris watched her go, his chest tightened and he felt like he couldn't breath.  
  
"Adina, wait!" He yelled, running to catch up with her. He pulled her to him, and planted a deep, passionate kiss on her lips. To his suprise, Adina kissed back, as she rapped her arms around his neck. Finally, as the need for oxygen became to great to ignore, they parted.  
  
"Call me when you get there," Chris instructed." Adina nodded, as she watched him go this time.  
  
"Oh and Chris," Adina said when she finally found her voice,"I love you."  
  
It had been a long, hard day for Adina. She had left everything behind to start over again with her family. Getting past the negative was a hard thing to do, but Adina knew it was nesecarry if she was going to survive in Everwood.  
  
A/N Yes, this is another kind of short chapter like the last one. I just didn't want to put both parts into one chapter. Please review. I'm not going to put up another chapter until I get at least 5 new reviews. 


	6. Peak County High

Don't tell me what I wanna hear  
  
Afraid of never knowing fear  
  
Experience anything you need  
  
I'll keep fighting jealousy- Lounge Act, by Nirvana  
  
The bell rang, signaling the start of a school day. Adina took a seat in the back of the class, which was Algebra, for her first day at County High. Her dad said she hadn't had to go to school, since there was only about a month left, and her school was ahead by about that, but she decided she wanted to go anyways. It definitely beat sitting home all day.  
  
"Class, we have a new student with us today," Mrs. Peters announced to the class, before motioning Adina to come to the front.  
  
"Adina, why don't you tell the class about yourself?" Mrs. Peters asked. Adina nodded, and took a breath.  
  
"My name is Adina Brown, I just moved here from New York, and well, that's about it," Adina told the class. Public speaking never made her nervous or scared like most people.  
  
"Thank you Adina you may take your seat," Mrs. Peters replied.  
  
The whole day had been pretty much the same. She had to introduce herself, and then listen to things she was supposed to already know. She really listened this time though; Isabel wasn't around to help her out. The day was going fast though; before she knew it it was time to go home. As she went to put her books away in her locker, a blonde girl wearing a striped blue sweater approached her.  
  
"Hi, I'm Amy," the blonde greeted her, "Your new here, right?"  
  
"Yep," Adina nodded absently, "I'm Adina Brown."  
  
"Brown? Are you related to Ephram?" Amy asked, her smile fading. Adina was amused by her response. What kind of trouble was her brother getting into these days? Obviously trouble named Amy.  
  
"Uh, yeah, he's my older brother," Adina answered, as she actually saw Ephram walking in her direction, "Well I really have to be going. It was nice meeting you." Amy watched as Adina ran to catch up with Ephram.  
  
"Hey, how was your first day?" Ephram asked.  
  
" It was okay, kind of boring though," Adina answered, as they walked out into the cold Colorado air.  
  
"Well get used to it, everything here is pretty boring," Ephram replied.  
  
"I can tell," Adina added, "Oh, and this blonde, uh.Amy I think, wanted to know if I was related to you." Ephram tensed at the name Amy.  
  
"Some advice, don't start hanging with Amy," Ephram told her, "She's really manipulative and just isn't the person you want to start a friendship with."  
  
"Ok, if you insist," Adina replied, "Now can we please get home before I freeze to death?" Adina shivered jokingly, even though she was fully covered by a huge puffy blue coat Nonni got her for the winter season.  
  
"So how was your first day of school?" Andy asked his eldest daughter.  
  
"Fine I guess," Adina shrugged, pushing the food around her plate with her fork. She didn't feel much like talking, but some people just aren't very empathic. And according to her, there was no one more clueless then her own father. Ephram was always bitter because Andy was never around, but at least had had some time with him. By the time Adina was born he was fully engaged with med school, that there was really no time for trips to the park, or help with learning to ride a bike and what not.  
  
"Well that's good. Make any new friends?" Andy replied happily.  
  
"Why? I already have friends back home," Adina answered as she stabbed a carrot with her fork.  
  
"Yeah, hundreds of miles away. I know starting off at a new school isn't easy, but you have to suck it up and at least pretend to like it, or your never going to get through it," Andy explained, "I know you.."  
  
"Dad, just stop," Ephram interrupted, "You already lectured me about not wanting to be here, don't make her sit through the same crap, okay? She's had a much harder time then any of us, and frankly, it's not fair that you made her move here." Adina let out a sigh of relief. Ephram always knew what to say. Julia had said they got along so well because they were so close I age. But Adina thought of it really being the hardships they went through that made them alike in so many ways.  
  
"Okay, now keep your hand really still," Adina instructed Delia, as she began to apply nail polish to the young girl's nails.  
  
"Corrupting her already?" Ephram laughed, grabbing a soda from the fridge.  
  
"No," Adina responded, without looking up, "She needs to learn this stuff somewhere. And I'm sure as hell you won't teach her."  
  
"Aren't you jus a ray of sunshine?" Ephram joked, sitting down across from his sisters.  
  
"Naw, you've always been the whiney, broody child," Adina commented, "It's pretty annoying actually."  
  
"Wow, that's got to be the nicest thing you've ever said, Dina," Ephram replied.  
  
"Your welcome," Adina added sarcastically, "Oh, and uh thanks for sticking up for me at dinner. It meant a lot to me." Adina leaned over and hugged her older brother, careful not to knock over the bottle of nail polish. Ephram smiled and hugged her back. Maybe Adina had changed.  
  
A/N: I know I haven't updated in like forever, but I don't know, I just was looking in my old files last night, and got inspired. I can't guarantee too many more updates, since I am very short on time. Please review, because if I see the fic is really in demand, there will be many more chapters!  
  
Bela 


	7. In loving memory

Summer dawned on Everwood early that year. But the town wasn't partaking in the normal summer activities they had every other year before. Instead, the small town was gathered at the gravesite of young Colin Hart. Everyone had memories of the beloved teenager, except Adina. She didn't even know what she was doing there. Hearing everyone's stories about how nice he was, and what a great guy he had been, made her feel even more alienated then usual.  
  
"Colin wasn't just an outstanding student, or gifted basketball player," A middle-aged woman, who Adina assumed was Mrs. Hart, began. She couldn't help but remember her mother's funeral. It had been so strange, standing there, watching as her mothers coffin was lowered. Even on crutches, with a huge red scars crisscrossing all over her pale skin; she stood there for what seemed like hours. She couldn't imagine what it would have been like if she hadn't been moderately sedated at the time.  
  
Adina was suddenly brought out of her daydream by the feeling of Delia's hand slipping into hers. Delia looked up at her with sad eyes. Even though Delia still wasn't old enough to fully realize the finality of death, Adina could perceive the sorrow and worry etched in her young face. All the Brown children were mature for their age, even the so-called "baby" of the three.  
  
As the ceremony end, and most people ventured toward the coffin, where the Hart's were stationed, Adina hung back. She recognized a familiar girl sitting towards the back of the church, looking completely lost.  
  
"Hi," Adina greeted, trying to remember the girl's name.  
  
"Hey," the girl hardly whispered without looking up, "Adina, right?"  
  
"Yeah," Adina nodded, leaning against the pew, "Sorry for your lose. I didn't know him, but he sounds like he was a great guy."  
  
"Thanks," she nodded absently. It was then Adina became conscious of the fact that this was Amy Abbot, girlfriend of Colin Hart.  
  
"Do you want to be alone?" Adina asked, recalling how much she wanted to be left to herself after her mother's death.  
  
"Actually, can you stay with me?" Amy asked. Shocked, Adina nodded and joined Amy in the pew. She couldn't understand why Ephram had been so stern about her staying away from Amy. She seemed nice enough, and it was obvious she needed a friend. And so did Adina.  
  
"So you must think I'm being over-dramatic, right? I mean, it's not like I lost a family member, like you," Amy asked Adina, as they sat together, cross-legged on the Abbot's back porch.  
  
"No, not at all," Adina shook her head, "Losing someone you love is harder then a lot of people think. After my mom died, I couldn't sleep or eat or even do much of anything for weeks. It took months of therapy before I could even talk about it."  
  
"But you got through it right?" Amy questioned, hopeful.  
  
"Yeah, for the most part," Adina replied, "It wasn't easy, but after awhile, you don't feel as bad, and you can actually function without thinking about them every moment of the day. Believe me Amy; you'll get through it." Adina promised, patting Amy on the back encouragingly. This was different. The last time she had ever consoled anyone was when Delia's goldfish died.  
  
"Thanks Adina," Amy said, looking up, "It really means a lot to me that you're here."  
  
"No problem," Adina smiled, "You need someone right now."  
  
Adina carefully opened the door to the Brown household, knowing she was supposed to be home over an hour ago.  
  
"Hey, where were you?" Ephram asked from the living room, without looking up from his playstation.  
  
"The Abbott's," Adina answered, grabbing a bottle of Sprite from the kitchen before plopping down on the couch next to Ephram. Upon hearing her response he paused his game.  
  
"Wait, what in the hell were you doing there?" Ephram questioned, raising an eyebrow.  
  
"Hanging out with Amy," Adina replied, grabbing the controller from him.  
  
"Why?" Ephram continued his questioning.  
  
"Because she needed someone. Are you done with the interrogation, or do we have to play twenty questions all night?" Adina replied, slightly annoyed, "I really don't know what your deal is with her, but don't drag me into it."  
  
"Alright ok, don't bite my head off," Ephram backed down, stealing the controller back. 


	8. Fun in the Sun

"Can you hear me, miss?" Adina heard the sound of a voice, as someone shined a bright light in her eyes. Slowly, her eyes flickered open, revealing that the voice was coming from what looked like a doctor. Studying her surroundings, she realized she was in the ER, with a shooting pain in her leg. As she looked down, she saw that her chest and abdomen was covered in blood, as well as her left leg. She felt herself begin to panic as her breathing began to shallow. In the next room, she could see her mother, lying bloody on a gurney, surrounded by doctors, frantically working to save her life.  
  
"What happened?" Adina asked, "Why am I here?"  
  
"You were in a car accident," a doctor explained, as another stuck an IV in her arm.  
  
"What's wrong with my mom?" Adina questioned hastily, her doe eyes open even wider than usual. Just as she asked, she heard the sound of the heart monitor hooked to her mother flat line.  
  
***  
  
Adina felt herself being shook awake. Her eyes shot open, to find her father looming over her, a worried look on his face.  
  
"Adina, sweetie, are you okay?" He asked worriedly.  
  
"Yeah, I was just having a bad dream," Adina answered.  
  
"Of what?" He questioned, handing her a cold glass of water.  
  
"I don't remember," Adina lied. As much as she wished the dreams had left her, they had come back.  
  
***  
  
"I bet you ten bucks, she leaves him for his evil twin, whom she thinks is actually the good one," Adina bet her younger sister, as they sat together on the couch watching soaps. Both of them still only in their pajamas, contently eating captain crunch from soup cups.  
  
"Bet you fifteen that she does, but mixes the two up at least once," Delia replied, before taking a bite of her cereal.  
  
"Adina, what in the world are you two watching?" Andy laughed as he passed through the room to get his wallet.  
  
"Guiding Light," Adina replied, "It's interesting you'd like it." "Why don't you guys go outside, go swimming, or do anything but watch this trash?" Andy asked, ruffling his younger daughter's hair.  
  
"Oh, but Daddy dearest, don't you wish for our happiness?" Adina joked, even pulling out the old "pout lip".  
  
"Yeah dad, plus, if we go to the pool, Ephram will have to drive us," Delia whined.  
  
"And what's wrong with that?" Andy questioned confused.  
  
"Frankly dad, your son drives like a maniac," Adina laughed, "He was doing like 80 on a 35 speed limit street the other day. Getting in the car with him, is as good as a death wish."  
  
"Ah, how I've missed you Adina," Andy smiled, shaking his head, "Ephram drives fine. I taught him."  
  
"There in lies the problem," Adina called, as Andy headed out the door.  
  
"Hey, did I hear you badmouthing my driving?" Ephram asked as he walked into the room, already dressed in his work uniform.  
  
"Maybe," Adina shrugged. Ephram looked to Delia for an answer.  
  
"I am not at liberty to say," Delia smiled.  
  
"Aw man, you brain washed Delia already?" Ephram sighed, shaking his head, before throwing a small throw pillow at Adina.  
  
"Hey!" Adina screamed, throwing the pillow back, "At least I'm not in training to be a janitor."  
  
"Let me remind you of your first job at Krispy Kremes," Ephram laughed, "And believe me, the kids at school didn't call you Krispy Kreme because you worked there."  
  
"Wait, why then?" Adina asked, cocking an eyebrow.  
  
"Well, you know what they say about Krispy Kremes. Everyone gets a free sample," Ephram grinned, before dodging the spoon Adina threw at him.  
  
***  
  
"There's Brittany, bye guys!" Delia chirped excitedly, as they arrived at the Everwood pool. "Yeah, and I got to get to work," Ephram announced, "See ya later, Dina."  
  
"Bye," Adina called after, before scooping out a good place to tan. The great thing about living in the mountains was you could easily get a killer tan. Most of Everwood had ended up at the pool, as if it were the only place to be on a sunny Friday morning. Finally, Adina picked a spot close to the pool, and pulled up the chair so she could dip her legs into the water.  
  
***  
  
Bright Abbott watched attentively over the crowded pool. At first, working seemed like it would be a drag, but as he spotted the many scantily clad girls around the pool, his mind was more than changed. His gaze suddenly caught on a blue-eyed brunette, wearing a black bikini with expensive looking sunglasses to match. However, unlike most other girls he found himself drooling over, it wasn't her bikini that attracted his gaze. He couldn't remember ever seeing her before, but she still held some familiarity. It wasn't often mysterious, attractive girls moved to Everwood, and Bright wasn't going to give up the chance at meeting her.  
  
***  
  
Adina contently lounged next to the pool, bathing her pale skin in the warm Colorado sun. Isabel had called the night before, insisting she not waste her summer doing nothing, and reminded her that if she was still planning to make it to NYU in three years, a little summer reading wouldn't hurt. So Adina reluctantly rummaged through her mother's old book collection, and found an appealing looking Jane Austen novel by the name of Pride and Prejudice. It wasn't the easiest piece of literature to read, but it was good. Adina found herself instantly loving the protagonist, Elizabeth Bennet. Elizabeth was a strong willed, smart, agreeable girl, and Adina wished she had the kind of courage Elizabeth beheld. A loud splashing noise, and a cry for help attracted Adina away from her reading. Instantly realizing that the cry was coming from no other than her baby sister, she dashed to the side of the pool, momentarily being stopped by an old couple taking their sweet time walking poolside. As she continued on her way, she watched, still horrified, as a young, blonde haired life guard jumped off his post, and went to her sister's rescue. It was then Adina realized that her sister wasn't really drowning; this was a game her and her friends were using to get attention from the attractive lifeguard.  
  
"Thank you so much," Adina thanked him, playing along with the game, as he delivered Delia to her. She hugged Delia, before straitening up.  
  
"No problem," He smiled, before reaching out and ruffling Delia's wet hair, "I'm Bright Abbott, and you are?"  
  
"Adina," She smiled, "Adina Brown."  
  
"So wait, your Brown's sister?" Bright replied, in a surprised manner. "I'm guessing you mean my brother, Ephram," Adina said amused, "And yes, unfortunately, we are related. And you then must be Amy's brother."  
  
"Yeah," Bright nodded, "Well, I'm going to get fired if I don't get back. It was really great meeting you though."  
  
"Likewise," Adina responded, waiting until he left to scold her sister.  
  
"Sheesh, Dee, what was that all about?" Adina asked, leading her away from the crowd of little girls.  
  
"It was Brittany's game," Delia shrugged, "It's really fun!"  
  
"But it's not right to do that, I don't mean to be the party pooper here, but what if someone else were drowning?" Adina explained to her, "Just promise me you won't do that anymore."  
  
"Ok," Delia replied, "I'm sorry."  
  
"It's ok," Adina smiled, handing her sister a towel, "So Bright Abbott, huh?"  
  
"I like him, he's really cool," Delia grinned.  
  
"Your too cute, you know that?"" Adina laughed, grabbing her own towel.  
  
"I know," Delia replied, "I'm hungry, can we go get something?"  
  
"Sure, a perfect time to bother Ephram at work," Adina grinned slyly.  
  
Amy Abbott had been sure a week or so ago that getting a job would take her mind off things, and make the grieving process much easier. Boy was she wrong. Just looking at the pool made her remember him. Some days she'd get excited thinking she saw him up on the lifeguard stand, but when she looked back, it'd be empty. Things were tough, but she knew that eventually she'd get through them.  
  
"Hello, my name's Amy-," Amy began, as she went to wait on a table. Mid- sentence, she noticed it was Adina, the one person she really felt like talking to at that very moment. Talking to someone who had went through the same thing actually helped. More than anything else she could come up with at least.  
  
"Hey Amy, I didn't know you worked here," Adina greeted surprised.  
  
"Yeah, just started the other day," Amy nodded, "And I see that Ephram does too." Amy pointed over to Ephram who was cleaning off a table.  
  
"Wow, Ephram actually doing something," Adina joked, "That's a first." Ephram heard his name and looked up from what he was doing, and noticed his sisters sitting a few tables over, talking to Amy. After finishing, he walked over to join them.  
  
"Hey guys," Ephram greeted, "Hey Amy."  
  
"Hi," Amy replied, turning her attention to her shoes. Adina picked up on the tension, and tried to think of something to say to lighten the mood. She remembered how much her brother had detested her befriending Amy, and she had no idea why they would be so uncomfortable with each other. Then it hit her like a ton of bricks. There was something more between them.  
  
"I uh, better be getting back to work then," Ephram explained, "See you later."  
  
"Bye," Amy hardly squeaked out, "So Adina, tomorrow Laynie and I are going up to Aspen, want to come along?"  
  
"Sure, sounds great," Adina nodded.  
  
"Cool, we'll pick you up around 8am then." 


	9. Old Habits

"So you'll be back at what time?" Andy asked Adina over a very early breakfast.  
  
"Midnight?" Adina asked hopefully.  
  
"Try again," Andy laughed, sipping his coffee.  
  
"Fine, 11:30, no earlier!" Adina replied, happy even if she had to give up a half hour.  
  
"And you've got a cell phone, first aid kit, road flairs..." He listed off.  
  
"Yeah, dad, you want us to take a whole disaster relief crew with?" Adina mocked, putting her cereal bowl in the sink, "Well, I'm off, see you at midnight."  
  
"11:30!" Andy yelled back, as she grinned deviously, and headed out the door.  
  
*@*  
  
"Ok, so do we want to listen to speed-metal or light jazz?" Laynie asked, flipping through her CDs.  
  
"Uh...let's just go with the radio," Adina suggested, trying to stifle a laugh.  
  
"Amy, you doing alright?" Laynie asked Amy, who was sitting on the other side of Adina. The three of them were piled in to the cab of Laynie's dad's old ford. Even though Laynie only had a learner's permit, she figured she could get away with driving to Aspen and back.  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine," Amy nodded, "Remember how much Colin used to love Aspen?"  
  
"Yeah I do," Laynie replied, instantly changing the subject, "D, you remember the trip we took with Eastland to Chrysler building?"  
  
"Oh yeah, and we all got in that fight about whether or not if dropping a penny from up there could really kill someone below," Adina remembered, feeling a sudden ache for her friends back at her boarding school, Eastland Prepatory School of Manhattan.  
  
"So how many miles we got left?" Amy asked, eager to get out of the car.  
  
"Not too many, we've got maybe, 15 at the most," Laynie answered, speeding up a bit, "So when we get there, I just have to stop in and see a friend of mine for a few minutes, and then, the town is ours."  
  
*@*  
  
Adina sighed and slumped against the car, Amy at her side. The few minutes Laynie had mentioned had turned into a few hours, and the friend's house, was just some huge house party.  
  
"It's getting late, you think we should go look for her?" Adina asked, glancing at her watch.  
  
"Maybe," Amy shrugged, "Maybe we should just leave without her." Just as Adina was actually thinking over what Amy suggested, Laynie appeared, quickly running over to join them.  
  
"Laynie, where the hell were you?" Adina snapped, her face reddening from anger and the Aspen cold.  
  
"Having fun," Laynie said, raising an eyebrow, "Since when have you been such a stick in the mud?"  
  
"C'mon Laynie, can we just go home?" Amy pleaded, "It's cold, and we're tired, and you may have had a wonderful time, but we haven't. So let's just go."  
  
"Fine, if you guys want to be like that," Laynie said heatedly, forcing the car door open. Amy and Adina shared a quick glance, before getting into the car themselves.  
  
As soon as Laynie started the car, and began to drive towards the main road, Adina noticed something poking out Laynie's coat pocket. As she looked closer, she noticed it was nothing other than a halfway empty beer bottle.  
  
"Laynie, were you drinking at the party?" Adina questioned, grabbing the bottle.  
  
"Maybe I had a couple of drinks? SO what?" Laynie shrugged, snatching the bottle back.  
  
"Laynie, let me drive," Amy pleaded, "You shouldn't be driving when you're like this."  
  
"Like what?" Laynie asked, "I'm so not drunk, just because you guys don't know how to have a good time.."  
  
"Laynie just stop the car," Adina instructed as calmly as she could.  
  
"No, this is my car, I'll do the driving," Laynie announced, pressing down harder on the gas. The car shot forward, pushing 75mph.  
  
"Laynie! Slow down!" Amy shouted, noticing the long patch of ice in front of them two minutes too late.  
  
*@*  
  
Andy paced the living room, glancing at the clock every few minutes. It was almost midnight, and still there was no sign of his eldest daughter. Every bad thought a father could have raced through his mind, and knowing he had almost lost Adina once, didn't help things.  
  
"Jeez Dad, relax, they probably just got caught in traffic," Ephram said, trying to calm his father. Just as he finished his sentence the phone began to ring, "See that's probably her right now calling to explain." Ephram hurried to the kitchen and picked up the phone, truly hoping it was his sister.  
  
"Hello, is the parent guardian of Adina Brown at home?" The voice asked. Ephram handed the phone to Andy, as he was beginning to have terrible thoughts of his own.  
  
*@*  
  
Adina's eyes flickered open, a bright fluorescent light looming over her. She glanced around, the scene painfully familiar, except she wasn't in the ICU this time, just the regular ER. As she tried to sit up, a sharp pain rushed through her left arm. Looking down, she realized that her arm was placed in a rock hard cast. A nurse passed by, and seeing that she was awake, poked her head in.  
  
"How are you feeling Miss Brown?" The nurse asked a little too cheerfully.  
  
"Good, thanks," Adina said with a half smile.  
  
"Well, your family is here, they're just talking to the doctor, they should be here in a moment," The nurse announced, before returning to her rounds. Adina nodded, leaning to the side, to see the nurse was correct. She saw a doctor talking to her father, probably discussing her current 'condition'. Ephram waited a few feet behind, holding a half-asleep Delia.  
  
"Hey sweetie," Andy greeted, after he had finally finished talking with the doctor. He gave Adina a quick hug before inquiring about how she was feeling.  
  
"I'm alright," Adina nodded, "I just don't really know what happened."  
  
"Well, you were in an accident, the car hit a patch of ice, and the car swerved into a ditch," Andy explained, "Apparently they found Laynie intoxicated."  
  
"Oh my god, are Amy and Laynie alright?" Adina asked, sitting up straight.  
  
"Amy has a few cuts and bruises, but nothing serious, and Laynie ended up with a mild concussion," He explained, "What I want to know, is why did you get into that car when you knew Laynie was drunk? You should have called, I would have picked you up."  
  
"We didn't know she had anything to drink until after we got in the car to go home," Adina tried to explain, "And when we found out, we tried to get her to pull over, but she wouldn't."  
  
"I just." Andy began, "I don't know, maybe it'd be best if you didn't spend any more time with Laynie Hart. She's going through a rough time, and knowing how her father is, it's probably a good idea if you distanced yourself from her as much as possible." Now, Adina wasn't the goody two shoes type to listen to everything she was told, but her father's suggestion didn't sound like a bad idea.  
  
"Can we go home now?" Adina asked, feeling a strong headache coming on.  
  
"Yeah, sure, let's get out of here," Andy nodded. Adina glanced at Laynie's family as they passed them on their way out, "Hey, you guys up for pancakes? There's this great 24-hour diner not to far from here." Delia shot awake, agreeing to the plan. Adina and Ephram also agreed, but as they were about to leave, Adina spotted Laynie.  
  
"Hey Adina," Laynie greeted, Adina hung back for a moment, telling Ephram she's catch up in a minute.  
  
"Hi," Adina nodded.  
  
"Listen, I'm sorry-" Laynie began, before Adina interrupted her.  
  
"Save it Laynie," Adina replied, "Everyone thinks that this is just your way of coping, but I know you better. This is an old habit, not a way to deal with your brother's death. I know that at one time, I would have probably looked the other way, but not anymore. You can ruin your life, but I'm not going to stick around and watch." And with that, Adina left, leaving behind a confused and miserable Laynie Hart. 


	10. Red Bull, Casts, and Dust Ruffles

"Wake up," Delia commanded in a singsong voice, gently bouncing up and down on Adina's bed. Adina pulled her blankets over her head, before letting out a long groan. But Delia didn't quit; she began jumping around the room, singing at the top of her lungs. Adina threw her covers off, and rolled out of bed.  
  
"Rise and shine," Ephram laughed, passing by the door.  
  
"Ok, why in the hell did you let her have Red Bull?" Adina asked, knowing why her sister was acting that way from previous experience.  
  
"Because I remember how funny the last time was," Ephram commented, "You're watching her today, by the way."  
  
"Why can't you take her to the pool?" Adina asked, finally getting up off the floor. She then proceeded to rummage through her closet, looking for a suitable outfit. She decided on a pair of faded blue jeans and a white halter top.  
  
"Because today we have inventory, and her friend Brittany is in Denver until August," Ephram explained.  
  
"Alright, fine," Adina sighed, "What do you want to do today kiddo?"  
  
"Hmm...can we go shopping?" Delia asked.  
  
"We can go window shopping, that's about it," Adina replied, "I'm flat broke. Unless Ephram wants to do his part in making you happy. How bout it E, your a working man, be charitable."  
  
"Fine, but only because I plan on giving her Red Bull tomorrow too," Ephram grinned slyly.  
  
*@*  
  
"Ok, we've got ten bucks left," Adina told her younger sister as the entered the supermarket, "You can pick one thing, preferably something sugarless. I'll meet you back here in five minutes." Delia nodded and hurried towards the candy section anyway. Adina smiled to herself, and paced slowly towards the cosmetics area, in search of eyeliner.  
  
A minute or two later, Adina was headed towards the bank of cash registers she promised to meet Delia at, triumphantly holding the blackest eyeliner the store carried in her right palm. The sound of a child wailing caused Adina to glance behind her, and before she knew what was coming she had slammed straight into someone, the contents of their baskets flying every which way.  
  
"I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention to where I was going," Adina explained, scrambling to pick up the persons items.  
  
"It's fine, I wasn't really paying attention either," The stranger laughed, their voice oddly familiar to Adina. She looked up and noticed it was the lifeguard from the pool, Amy Abbott's brother.  
  
"Oh, hi," Adina smiled, still gathering up all the items.  
  
"Hey, Adina, right?" He asked, a smile spreading across his face as well.  
  
"Yeah," Adina nodded, "So how have you been?"  
  
"Pretty good," Bright replied, "How's the arm? I heard about the accident, from Amy of course."  
  
"It's been better, but at least I'm not left handed," Adina answered, "How's Amy?"  
  
"She's good, milking everything for all it's worth actually," Bright explained.  
  
"Haha, If only I could do the same," Adina laughed, before noticing a Cosmo in the pile of goods, "So I was wondering, who are this season's sexiest men?" Adina said after reading the cover.  
  
"Ugh...this isn't mine," Bright blushed, "It's part of Amy's "milking it", she had me come here to get her a few things."  
  
"I bet," Adina said playfully.  
  
"No ones signed your cast," Bright suddenly took notice.  
  
"Huh?" Adina asked, cocking an eyebrow.  
  
"Your cast, it doesn't have signatures or anything," Bright explained, "Here, let me sign it."  
  
"Alright," Adina shrugged. Bright grabbed a marker lying by an empty lane, and began to scribble on her cast. After a minute or two, he stepped back, and capped the marker, looking to Adina for a response. Adina read it carefully, quickly noticing the number that followed his name.  
  
"What's with the number?" She asked.  
  
"It's so you can call me, so we can hang out sometime," Bright explained, "I mean, if you want to."  
  
"That'd be great. I promise to call," Adina smiled, "I've really got to get going though. See you around."  
  
"Bye," Bright grinned, heading in the other direction. Adina instantly spotted Delia, who was leaning against the magazine rack, an unhappy look on her face.  
  
"Hey Delia," Adina greeted, but was suddenly cut off.  
  
"Let's go home, I don't want to be around you anymore," Delia announced, storming out of the store.  
  
"Wait! What'd I do?" Adina yelled, rushing after her angry sister.  
  
*@*  
  
Delia ran as fast as her legs would carry her, in the direction of their home. She didn't even bother to take the time to brush the hot tears of her face. How could Adina do this to her? She hated her sister for this, downright hated her. Why couldn't she have just stayed in New York?  
  
Adina weaved through the crowds, trying to catch up with Delia. As she ran, she tried desperately to figure out what exactly she had done. Then it hit her, like a ton of bricks. Bright. Instantly, she thought back to the day at the pool, when Delia had faked drowning. No wonder she was angry. Delia had a crush on Bright.  
  
Delia threw open the front door as she reached it, and went straight to her room and slammed the door behind her. She heard Adina enter right after her, and the sound of her footsteps coming up the stairs. Wanting to avoid talking to her, Delia hastily crawled under her bed. She pressed her burning, tear-streaked cheek to the cold hardwood floor, trying to forget about everything. The creek of the door opening, and the sight of Adina's sneakers made her want to run, but she couldn't.  
  
Knowing how much her sister took after her, Adina knew right away where to look. Beneath the bed had always been Adina's hiding spot. When they lived in New York, her mother had even left her little "care packages" waiting under her bed when she knew Adina had had a bad day. But after Julia's death, and the overwhelming feeling that she needed to grow up that came along with it, stopped Adina from the childhood habit. Adina pulled up the dust ruffle, and laid down on the floor facing Delia.  
  
"Hi sweetie," Adina greeted, in a soft voice.  
  
"Go away, I want to be alone," Delia responded, brushing the tears away from her eyes. Only little girls cried, and she was so not a little girl.  
  
"I'm sorry," Adina offered, "I didn't know that you liked him. Really, I didn't."  
  
"I don't want to talk about it, okay?" Delia pleaded, trying not to look at her sister. If anyone besides their mother ever had the power to cheer Delia up, it was definitely Adina.  
  
"Hun, I know what it's like to have a crush, believe me, I've had 'em," Adina laughed.  
  
"It's not a crush," Delia sighed.  
  
"I know it seems like it isn't, I know how serious your first crush seems. Remember Ephram's friend skuz?" Adina asked. Delia nodded, confused, "Well he was my first crush. Don't ask me why, I must have been nuts. But the point is, I went through the same thing your going through now, and I turned out alright. Well, for the most part." Delia smiled at this. Knowing Bright liked Adina still hurt, but at least it was Adina, someone she cared about more than anything else.  
  
"I love you Adina," Delia announced, crawling out from under the bed so she could hug her sister. Adina laughed, and toppled over as Delia hugged her.  
  
"I love you too, Delia, no matter what," Adina told her, smiling as she remember the day her parents brought Delia home from the hospital, and how happy she had been to have a little sister.  
  
*@*  
  
Though Adina had smoothed things out with Delia, that evening would bring a whole new set of problems. It wasn't unlike any other night, Ephram was practicing piano, Andy had taken Delia over to Nina's to play with Sam, and Adina was filling out post cards to send to Isabel, Sarah, and Chris at the kitchen table. Ephram, who decided to take a break from playing, entered the kitchen, in search of a bottle of water.  
  
"What're you up to?" He asked his sister, joining her at the table.  
  
"Writing post cards," Adina answered without looking up, "How was work?"  
  
"Unexciting," Ephram replied, "Hey, what's that?" Ephram leaned forward in order to read Adina's cast. Scrawled in red magic marker was Bright Abbott's name and number.  
  
"Nothing," Adina said, hiding her arm under the table.  
  
"Why do you have Bright's name on your arm?" Ephram asked, eagerly waiting for an answer.  
  
"Um.I ran into him at the supermarket, and just offered to sign it," Adina said as nonchalantly as possible.  
  
"Then what's with the number?" Ephram questioned, even though for the most part, he knew what she would say.  
  
"He just gave it to me so we can maybe hang out some time, no big," Adina explained.  
  
"You know he's like the biggest moron in Everwood, right?" Ephram laughed, "I mean, it's none of my business, but since when do you like mindless jocks?"  
  
"First off, you know I don't believe in labels," Adina smirked, "And second, I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt. Just because you think he's a moron doesn't mean he is one."  
  
"Touché," Ephram said in response, closing the conversation.  
  
AN: Hey guys, haven't been getting too many reviews lately, so I thought I'd just leave a little reminder here. I really love hearing your thoughts/comments/ideas and believe me; it really helps the writing process. Oh and also, I will wait to post the next chapter until I get 5 reviews. 


	11. He's NOT My boyfriend!

"No, shoot the cop, not the pedestrian, the cop!" Ephram shouted, "Now take his car!"  
  
"I'm trying, I'm trying, but they got the SWAT team in on me," Adina replied, doing the best she could.  
  
"Oh god your terrible, here let me kill him," Ephram told her. Adina reluctantly handed him the controller. Playing "Grand Theft Auto: Vice City" was fun when she played it alone. But playing it with Ephram right next to her, well, that was another story.  
  
"Why don't the two of you do something that's more mind-enriching, and less about crime committing?" Andy asked as he passed through the living room, "Ephram, don't you have work? And Adina, I thought you were taking Delia back-to-school shopping."  
  
"Yeah," The siblings groaned in unison.  
  
"Wait it's Saturday," Ephram remembered, "So no, I don't."  
  
"Good, then you can go with your sisters," Andy smiled, "I have to go, Mr. Rickaby through out his back, so I have to make a house call." Before Ephram could protest, Andy was out the door.  
  
"Haha," Adina teased.  
  
"Shut up," Ephram replied, "Get on my bad side, and I'll tell Dad your dating Bright."  
  
"But I'm not!" Adina shouted, "I like him, sure, but I haven't even decided if I want to do anything about that."  
  
"That's not what is says in your diary!" Ephram laughed.  
  
"Nice try, but I don't even keep one," Adina shrugged nonchalantly.  
  
"Then what's this?" Ephram smiled as he pulled a small diary out from between the couch cushions and waved it in her face.  
  
"How the heck did you get that?!?" Adina cried, grabbing for the book. Ephram stood up and held it out of her reach.  
  
"The secret compartment of your dresser drawer," Ephram smiled.  
  
"I'm going to kill you!" Adina screamed, chasing him through the kitchen.  
  
"C'mon guys, lets all act like adults here," Delia instructed, making her way into the kitchen. Ephram and Adina stopped fighting for a moment. Adina snatched her diary away from him, and held it tight against her chest.  
  
"He started it," Adina replied, before turning and sticking her tongue out at him.  
  
"Kids," Delia shook her head, and sighed.  
  
***  
  
By the time they had finished shopping, Delia had enough clothes to clothe a 3rd world country.  
  
"I'd say we did good, "Adina smiled. She had always been a shopaholic, just like her mom.  
  
"We probably maxed out all dad's credit cards though," Ephram laughed, trying to balance all the bags Adina made him carry.  
  
"Hey guys!" Adina turned to see Amy running towards them.  
  
"Hey Aims, what's up?" Adina asked, stopping to talk to her friend.  
  
"Not much," Amy replied, "Just wanted to talk to you about something."  
  
"Alright, shoot," Adina instructed. Ephram nudged Delia, and motioned for her to follow him. He figured whatever Amy had to tell Adina, she'd want to tell her alone.  
  
"I'm going to take Adina over to Mama Joy's, ok?" Ephram told Adina, Adina nodded, and waved, before turning back to Amy.  
  
"I kind of have a weird question," Amy began, "but, you were depressed after your mom died, right?"  
  
"According to all the doctors and psychiatrists, yes," Adina answered, "What's wrong?"  
  
"Well, I really think I am, and Laynie told me there's drugs- anti- depressants- that can really help with that sort of thing," Amy explained, "And I wanted to know your opinion."  
  
"Your taking Laynie's advice after what happened in Aspen?" Adina asked surprised.  
  
"She's my friend, I can't just abandon her," Amy responded, looking at her feet.  
  
"I know, she was my friend too, but when someone does that-" Adina began, but was cut off my Amy.  
  
"So what's your opinion on Zoloft?" Amy asked eagerly anticipating her response.  
  
"I don't know if they're right for you Amy," Adina said honestly, "Prescription drugs are for people who have a chemical imbalance, but your depression is different. It has a substantial cause. You need to get over this on your own; you have to be able to cope. I had to, and I got through it, and so can you."  
  
"Whatever," Amy shrugged, "It just doesn't seem like I'm going anywhere. Everyday is the same. Hopeless."  
  
"Nothing is ever hopeless Amy," Adina told her honestly, "As hard as it is, you always have to have hope. It's the one thing that'll keep you moving forward."  
  
"Thanks Adina," Amy thanked her, embracing her quickly. Adina hugged her back, hoping her words had helped.  
  
***  
  
"Hey Ephram!" Ephram turned to see Bright walking into the diner.  
  
"Uh, hi Bright," Ephram replied, "What do you want?"  
  
"Just to talk, see how your doing," Bright answered, before addressing Delia, "Hey kiddo."  
  
"Delia, why don't you go see if Adina is coming yet," Ephram told her. Delia nodded, and grabbed her coat. "I'm not stupid Bright, your just trying to be nice to me because you like my sister," Ephram replied, leaning against the machine.  
  
"No, that's not true," Bright responded, "I mean, yeah, I like your sister, but that has nothing to do with me calling a truce."  
  
"A truce?" Ephram asked, confused.  
  
"Yeah, I mean, ever since Colin- well, I just am getting tired of hanging around with all the same people," Bright explained, " And you seem like a pretty cool guy."  
  
"Thanks." Ephram wasn't sure what to say.  
  
"And okay, maybe being nicer to you might get me somewhere with your sister, but that's just a small plus," Bright grinned.  
  
***  
  
"Your boyfriend called a truce with me today," Ephram announced to Adina, when he found her sitting out on the porch that evening.  
  
"My boyfriend?" Adina asked, cocking an eyebrow.  
  
"Bright Abbott," Ephram replied, handing her a cup of coffee.  
  
"He's not my boyfriend. How many times do I have to tell you?" Adina sighed, sipping the warm liquid.  
  
"Whatever you say," Ephram laughed, "So what did you talk about with Amy?" Even though he hadn't really been on friendly terms with Amy in a while, he still wanted to know when something was wrong.  
  
"Oh nothing you'd understand," Adina answered.  
  
"Why wouldn't I understand, I know Amy better than you do," The words slipped out before he even realized what he was saying.  
  
"I knew it," Adina smiled, "You like Amy Abbot."  
  
"No. It's just at one time, before Colin died, we were pretty good friends," Ephram tried to explain. Adina gave him a knowing glance, but was nice enough to change the topic.  
  
"So your friends with Bright now?" Adina asked, and couldn't help but laugh to herself.  
  
"No, not really," Ephram answered, "I'm naturally supposed to hate anyone who is trying to hook up with my little sister."  
  
"You know, there's nothing going on between me and Bright Abbott, so I would greatly appreciate it if you dropped it," Adina shot back, her eyes narrowing.  
  
"Fine, I'll drop it," Ephram promised, "For now."  
  
A/N: This is kind of a short chapter, but I just had to kind of have one for filler. The next one will be a bit more meaningful to the plot. There is an update ready and waiting, I just want 5 reviews before I will post it.  
  
Merry Christmas!  
  
Stephanie 


	12. Party Girl

Summer swept by faster then ever before, and before she knew it, Adina was beginning her second year at Peak County High. This time she hoped to be there for longer than a month though.  
  
"C'mon girls, get up, today's the first day of school!" Andy shouted as he stuck his head into his daughters' bedroom. Adina pushed her face into a pillow, and let out a long, drawn out groan.  
  
"Don't remind me," Adina sighed, turning over. Andy smiled, and opened the curtains, causing bright rays of sunlight spilled into the room. Delia was up in a flash, ready and excited for her first day. Adina was less then happy about going back. A lazy summer had been just what she needed to cope with leaving everything behind, but she wasn't sure if she was ready to go back.  
  
"Get up Adina, you don't want to be late," Andy called on his way out of the room.  
  
"Oh no, wouldn't want that," Adina grumbled, finally dragging herself from the warmth and comfort of her bed. She grabbed the first pair of jeans she could find, and a blue Hollister's top she got for her last birthday. Grabbing a brush, she hastily combed her soft chestnut hair into a high ponytail, and took a few minutes to carefully line her eyes in black. Popping a stick of trident in her mouth (she figured either Delia or Ephram had already taken over the bathroom, so she wouldn't even get a chance to brush her teeth) and headed downstairs.  
  
"How do you want your eggs, Addie?" Andy asked his eldest daughter, as he cracked an egg into a pan.  
  
"None thanks," Adina replied, just grabbing a bottle of Fiji out of the fridge.  
  
"You're a growing girl, you should have breakfast," Andy commented in a fatherly tone.  
  
"Yeah but eggs have too much cholesterol, now if you were to hand me a grapefruit that may be a different story," Adina said, happy even though she knew she was being a smart ass.  
  
"Alright," Andy sighed, but smiled when he saw Delia coming, "I bet Delia will eat some."  
  
"Grapefruit please!" Delia grinned as she jumped up onto the bar stool next to Adina. Adina laughed and gave her father a "you lose" sort of look.  
  
"Will you settle for an orange?" Andy asked, as he dug through the fridge looking for the grapefruit, unable to find any.  
  
"Sure," Delia nodded, Adina ignored the question, and just absently nodded, as she picked at her chipping black nail polish.  
  
"Do either of you know where your brother is?" Andy asked, handing each of them an orange.  
  
"He's prettying himself up," Adina replied.  
  
"Hey, I heard that," Ephram glared, as he entered the kitchen.  
  
"Whatever, you know it's true," Adina teased, moving off her stool to get her black messenger bag, "Let's go."  
  
"Make sure you guys pick up Delia from Nina's when you get home," Andy called as they headed out the door.  
  
"Sure thing," Ephram shouted back, before running to catch up with Adina.  
  
"Here, let me see your schedule," Adina told Ephram, handing him hers. They read over each other's carefully, both realizing they had English together.  
  
"Alright, how do you have 11th grade English?" Ephram asked, raising an eyebrow.  
  
"I forgot about that, they said because they figured the material we went over in Eastland was much further advanced then the stuff they do at Peak County, so they put me in 11th grade English," Adina explained.  
  
"Crap, since when have you ever been smart?" Ephram asked in a false serious tone.  
  
"Beg your pardon?" Adina said surprised, "Just because I'm your little sister doesn't mean I can't kick your ass!"  
  
***  
  
"Yeah, so there's this party coming up, you should really come with us," Amy was telling Adina as they headed to there English class.  
  
"I'm guessing by "us" you mean you and Laynie," Amy nodded, "Then I'm guessing it's not a high school party is it?"  
  
"Well.no," Amy replied honestly, "But Laynie says it'll be really fun, frat parties-"  
  
"It's a frat party?" Adina said alarmed, "I figured it was just a college party."  
  
"Just promise you'll come, for me," Amy pleaded, "Otherwise I won't know what I'm doing. I'm not really a party girl."  
  
"And I am?" Adina asked surprised.  
  
"According to Laynie," Amy began, but was suddenly cut off by Adina.  
  
"Laynie's full of shit," Adina said angrily, storming off towards the classroom.  
  
"Wow, what's up with her?" Ephram asked, running to catch up with Amy.  
  
"Your sister has one hot temper," Amy commented nonchalantly.  
  
"Tell me something I don't know," Ephram laughed, but then grew serious, "But she kind of has reason to. She's gone through a lot, not just our mom dieing. Well, I'll see you in class." Ephram then walked on, leaving Amy along to ponder the newfound information on her friend.  
  
***  
  
Chilly winter winds were beginning to find their way back into Everwood, as the warm summer comforts melted away. Adina Brown sat alone on her porch, doing her best to clear her mind and enjoy what was left of summer. It wasn't easy though; she couldn't stop thinking about everything and anything that crossed her mind.  
  
"This seat taken?" Adina looked up to see Bright standing in front of her.  
  
"It is now," Adina said, attempting a half smile.  
  
"So how are you?" Bright asked, "I see you got the cast off."  
  
"Yeah, last week," Adina responded, intentionally ignoring the first question, "What brings you here?"  
  
"I was just out on a walk, and I saw you out here," Bright explained. "Yeah, I was just out here trying to enjoy what's left of summer," Adina answered, "that and just thinking about things."  
  
"Like what?" Bright asked, looking over at her.  
  
"Basically just how much I miss New York, and all my friends," Adina answered, "how much I miss my mom." Adina looked down, hiding her face. Her mother was still a sensitive subject to her, and with all the remembering she had been doing lately it was like scratching at an open sore.  
  
"I'm sorry," Bright offered, knowing from experience that it was really just a useless comment  
  
"Thanks," Adina looked up teary eyed. She hated being an emotional person, it made you feel so vulnerable all the time, "I must seem ridicules, I mean I'm sorry for all the self-pitying you have to witness."  
  
"No you don't have to apologize," Bright replied, placing his arm around her. Adina gave him a teary smile.  
  
"You're a really great guy, you know that?" Adina told him, and before she knew it, she had leaned forward and kissed him. It probably would have been perfect if all she hadn't been thinking of Chris when she did it.  
  
"I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking at all, and I shouldn't have done that-" Adina apologized, but was suddenly interrupted by Bright kissing her this time. Now Adina had kissed guys many a time before, but somehow this seemed a lot different, like it was actually igniting something deep inside her. She had butterflies, saw fireworks, the whole deal. But in her mind it was still wrong. In a way she had promised herself to Chris. It wasn't that she actually said anything, but it was implied by their goodbye. He was the first guy she ever told "I love you" too, and in her book, that was a big deal. Adina quickly pulled away, and stood up.  
  
"What's wrong?" Bright asked confused.  
  
"I-uh- I'm sorry, that was great, it really was, but I've got to go," Adina hastily explained, before heading towards the front door, "See you tomorrow."  
  
***  
  
Adina spent the next day at school trying to avoid Amy and Bright. By the time lunch came it seemed as if she had failed.  
  
"Hey Adina," Amy greeted, as soon as Adina had entered the cafeteria.  
  
"Oh, hi Amy," Adina replied, her eyes searching the lunch room for a way to escape.  
  
"Want to sit with me and Laynie?" Amy asked hopefully.  
  
"No, I think I'm going to go find Ephram," Adina said still looking around. She suddenly saw Bright heading to where Ephram was and changed her mind, "Well, on second thought, sure."  
  
***  
  
Ephram turned up the volume on his CD player as he paged through his manga. Suddenly he felt a tap on his shoulder and turned to see Bright. Ephram laid down his comic book, and took off his headphones, wondering what Bright could want.  
  
"Mind if I sit here?" Bright asked.  
  
"Only if you stay," Ephram replied, starting to get up.  
  
"Har-har," Bright said sarcastically, sitting down anyways.  
  
"What do you want?" Ephram asked confused.  
  
"Nothing. Just to enjoy your company," Bright explained, "Do you want my pudding?"  
  
"All right, what's the favor, Bright?" Ephram questioned.  
  
"What are you talking about? What favor?" Bright asked, obviously playing dumb. Ephram shot a look his way, impatiently waiting for him to speak up.  
  
"Ok, it's about Amy," Bright began.  
  
"No," Ephram replied instantly.  
  
"What? You don't even know what I was going to ask," Bright commented, before glancing at his sister.  
  
"The answer is no," Ephram stood his ground.  
  
"Why?" Bright questioned.  
  
"Because whatever is going on with you and your sister is your business. Not mine. When I try to make it my business, she gets mad at me," Ephram explained.  
  
"No, this is different," Bright promised.  
  
"I doubt that it's different," Ephram replied, "But go on."  
  
"Look, with everything that's been going on lately, Amy has been a little bit out of it," Bright explained.  
  
"That's normal," Ephram said nonchalantly.  
  
"Well, no. I mean, I've seen Amy out of it before and this is really out of it. I'm a little worried about her," Bright confessed, "I'm wondering if you could just keep an eye on her, let me know what she's up to."  
  
"Forget it," Ephram replied, ready to leave.  
  
"Look, not always. Just whenever you're not busy.being a loner geek with weird t-shirts," Bright added.  
  
"You want me to stalk your sister?" Ephram raised an eyebrow.  
  
"You kind of already do," Bright pointed out.  
  
"We're friends, we hang out," Ephram replied defensively.  
  
"Well, good. Now you can hang out, but report back to me," Bright smiled.  
  
"No, no. I already told you," Ephram repeated, "Not my sister, not my problem."  
  
"Yeah well, your sister and my sister are pretty chummy, and whatever Amy is up to, Adina probably isn't far behind," Bright pointed out. Ephram put his headphones back on, but still pondered Bright's request.  
  
A/N: Almost all of this part is from the actual script, so I didn't not write it; it belongs to the writers of Everwood, not me. I repeat, I did not write the above, just changed it so it fit the story, and so it wasn't in script form. *** The next day.  
  
The bell rang noisily, dismissing all the students at Peak County from their fourth hour class.  
  
"Well at least I got some sleep," Amy commented, referring to English class, which she and Ephram had just left. Adina was not far behind them.  
  
"I was so bored I was counting his eyebrows, which is weird because there's actually only one," Ephram replied, all three chuckled as they headed towards Amy and Adina's lockers, which were just a few lockers apart.  
  
"Hey Amy, you ready?" Laynie asked, who had just joined them.  
  
"Yeah," Amy nodded, putting her books away, "Adina your coming right?"  
  
"I guess," Adina shrugged, putting her own things away.  
  
"Where you guys going?" Ephram questioned, remembering his chat with Bright.  
  
"My house, just to prepare for this party at ECC tonight," Laynie explained.  
  
"You guys are going?" Ephram asked, glancing over at Adina surprised.  
  
"College parties are practically thrown for high school girls," Laynie answered, "Well see you later."  
  
"Wait, can I come with you guys?" Ephram asked nervously.  
  
"It's kind of a girls thing, we're just going to pick out outfits and stuff," Laynie explained.  
  
"I love clothes, I'm all about clothes," Ephram nodded, "Right Adina?"  
  
"Ugh yeah," Adina responded before turning to Amy and Laynie, "Look, if anyone knows my brother, its me, and he isn't going to rat anyone out."  
  
"Alright, lets go then," Laynie sighed, leading the way. Ephram shot a "thank you" smile in Adina's direction, who simply rolled her eyes in response.  
  
***  
  
"Alright, I really don't think you should go to that party tonight," Ephram told his sister as they entered the Brown home after school.  
  
"I have to, I promised Amy," Adina tried to explain.  
  
"But you know what they're planning to do, they just want to get drunk and probably do good knows what with some stupid frat guys," Ephram replied, worrying about his sister's safety more than anything.  
  
"I can take care of myself, nothing is going to happen to me," Adina promised, "If anything, I'll spend the night trying to distract Amy from getting to any of that."  
  
"How are you, at 5'5, probably 110 pounds, going to stop anyone from doing anything?" Ephram pointed out.  
  
"I don't know, but I can't not go," Adina replied.  
  
"Then I'll go too," Ephram said, ending the debate.  
  
"Next question, how are we going to get away with going to this thing?" Adina asked, sitting down on the stairs.  
  
"Leave that to me, I'll work it out," Ephram promised.  
  
***  
  
Loud music practically busted out of the speakers, and ever shelf, table, and ledge were covered in beer bottles, both full and empty.  
  
"What am I doing here?" Adina muttered to herself, as she weaved through the crowd of frat guys.  
  
"Hey there," Adina suddenly felt an arm wrap around her and looked up to see a frat guy trying to make a move.  
  
"Excuse me," Adina said, pushing him away, and continuing on. She finally spotted Amy and Laynie flirting with a couple of guys, each grasping a beer.  
  
"There they are," Bright announced, and pushed forward. Adina, not too fond of public tension, lingered back, even after Ephram went to join them. She couldn't help but listen on eagerly though, as the sibling spat insults and placed the blame for Colin's death on each other. Before she knew it everything was over, and Amy was storming out. Briefly, she felt sorry for Amy, knowing what it was like to feel like drinking was the only way out. Depression was a hard cross to bear, and sometime it seems like there's nowhere to turn. She felt a hand on her shoulder, and looked over to see Laynie standing at her side. Laynie gave her an apologetic look, and out of nowhere pulled her into a tight hug.  
  
"I'm so sorry for everything," Laynie said remorsefully, but something about her tone seemed synthetic. "Do you think you'll ever be able to forgive me?"  
  
"I don't know Laynie, you sort of have to earn it," Adina explained, still taken aback by Laynie's actions.  
  
"I understand," Laynie nodded pulling away, but not before she slipped a little something into Adina's pocket, "I've gotta get going, it's getting late. See you around." Laynie disappeared into the crowd, smiling to herself. Now for once maybe little miss perfect would get into some trouble.  
  
"Bye," Adina nodded, before heading for the door herself. Something about Laynie was exceptionally odd. She couldn't put her finger out, but it probably spelled out trouble.  
  
A/N: Okay, I updated before I got all the reviews I wanted, but this time I'm sticking to my word. I will not update until I get 5 reviews, and believe me, the next chapter is going to be pretty good.  
  
steph 


	13. The Shit Hits The Fan

"So is Amy talking to you again yet?" Adina asked Bright gently, as they walked towards the school parking lot.  
  
"No, not really," Bright answered, "How about you?"  
  
"Yeah, she already chewed me out about everything. Apparently it's my fault for letting you guys come to the party," Adina shrugged, "But I think she's getting over it, at least I hope so."  
  
"Sorry," Bright apologized, "I didn't mean for it to hurt your friendship, I was just worried about you guys."  
  
"No, I think it's really sweet that you cared enough about your sister to let her know she was being a slut," Adina replied, "Wait, I don't mean it like that. It's just that-,"  
  
"I get what you mean, and thanks," Bright laughed, "You want a ride home?"  
  
"Sure," Adina nodded, climbing into Bright's ford, "So, planning on sabotaging any frat parties this weekend?"  
  
"Haven't decided yet," Bright answered, "How about you, any plans yet?"  
  
"Nope, well, not besides for watching old TV movies from the 70's, "Ice Castles" is my new favorite," Adina joked.  
  
"If the whole ice castles thing doesn't work out, I've got a couple of tickets to the Avalanche game tonight," Bright suggested, "If you want to go."  
  
"Oh my god, I love hockey, of course I'll go!" Adina exclaimed excitedly, "I'll just run in and change." Adina hopped out of the car and sprinted into the house. As she continued the the stairs she threw her coat off onto the banister, next to the coat she had worn to the party just a few nights before. Hastily she changed into a pair of black low rise jeans and an hockey jersey she had been given by Chris, who had been on a hockey team in New York.  
  
"Dad, can I go to an avalanche game with Bright Abbott tonight?" Adina called down the stairs as she searched for her vans.  
  
"Sure, you need any money?" He called back, knowing she'd want some.  
  
"Of course," Adina laughed, as she finally found her shoes under her bed.  
  
"I'll just put it in your coat pocket," Andy answered, grabbing her coat off the banister. Sticking his hand in the pocket to put the money in, he felt something inside. Pulling it out, he realized what it was.  
  
"Adina, get down here right now," Andy said as calmly as he could.  
  
"What?" Adina asked as she made her way down the stairs.  
  
"What's this?" Andy asked holding up a joint.  
  
"Where did you find that?" She asked, a mixture of surprise and confusion washing over her.  
  
"Your coat pocket," Andy replied, "Would you like to explain?"  
  
"That's not mine," Adina stated simply, "You have to believe me, it's really not mine."  
  
"Then what is it doing in your coat pocket?" Andy asked, "Hmm, I'd sure as hell like to know how it got there."  
  
"Dad, all I can tell you is it isn't mine!" Adina yelled, "Why won't you just believe me?"  
  
"Because I know you Adina, and it's just like you to do something like this," Andy shouted back, "You know, I really thought you had changed."  
  
"My god, I can't believe your accusing me of this!" Adina screamed back, "I'm going."  
  
"No your not young lady, your grounded until I know what to do with you," Andy told her.  
  
"I'm not going to be held prisoner for something I didn't do," Adina responded coldly, "Bye."  
  
"Walk out that door, and you'll be in a world of trouble," Andy shouted as she neared the door. She ignored him, and without hesitation, walked out and slammed the door behind her.  
  
"Let's go," Adina instructed as she hopped into the car, her teeth still clenched.  
  
"What happened?" Bright asked, worried.  
  
"I don't know, but I have a feeling it's Laynie's doing," Adina sighed, "Can we get out of here?"  
  
"Sure," Bright dropped it, and pulled out of the driveway.  
  
***  
  
"Where's Adina?" Ephram asked as he entered the living room where Andy was sitting on the couch, contemplating what to do. "At a hockey game with Bright," Andy answered bitterly.  
  
"What's wrong?" Ephram asked, raising an eyebrow.  
  
"I found a joint in Adina's coat pocket today," Andy replied, "And when I grounded her, she left anyways."  
  
"You think it was actually hers?" Ephram questioned.  
  
"Whose else would it be," Andy said, nodding.  
  
"Dad, you can't honestly think Adina would do that," Ephram responded, "I mean, sure she's never been perfect, but she's never been an addict or anything either."  
  
"I don't know Ephram, I don't know what to think," Andy sighed, "There's been so much going on with her in the past couple years, maybe.."  
  
"No, I know her better then you do, and she's just not like that," Ephram replied, "Hot headed, stubborn, sure, but I can assure you she's not on drugs."  
  
"I wish I could believe that," Andy muttered softly.  
  
***  
  
"I had a great time," Adina smiled when they had finally pulled into the driveway.  
  
"Me too," Bright nodded, "We should do stuff more often."  
  
"Yeah," Adina replied, "So I guess I should be going." Adina slowly unbuckled her seat belt, and reached for the door handle, but then she had another thought. She turned and leaned over to Bright, giving him a slow, passionate kiss. Before she knew it they had been kissing for nearly 15 minutes, but she just couldn't stop herself.  
  
"I've really got to go," Adina said between kisses.  
  
"Why?" Bright asked pulling her closer.  
  
"I know, I don't want to, but I'm already in deep shit," Adina smiled, giving him one last kiss before getting out of the car, "See you tomorrow." Once Bright had driven off, Adina leaned against the house, her heart pounding in her chest, not believing all the things that had happened that day. 


	14. Dirty Sunshine

"Damn it, I was supposed to be home an hour ago," Adina said pulling away from Bright. They had went to the cliff overlooking the mountains after school, and talking led to kissing, which led to Adina being an hour late.  
  
"Oh come on, we were having fun," Bright laughed as he got up.  
  
"I know," Adina smiled coyly, "But I'm already supposed to be grounded.again."  
  
"Want a ride home?" Bright asked, motioning to the car.  
  
"No, I think I'll walk," Adina replied before glancing at her watch, "Or better yet, run. Bye Bright." Adina flashed him another coy smile before bolting off towards her house.  
  
"Man, I love her," Bright muttered to himself, watching her run off, her hair flying frantically in the wind. Adina listened to the rhythm of her feet hitting the ground as she ran. Feeling the cold, biting wind rush through her hair was so liberating, and she couldn't help but feel disappointed as she neared the house.  
  
"Sorry, I didn't mean to loose track of time," Adina announced after she threw the door open.  
  
"Oh, your home," An unfamiliar, feminine voice came from the kitchen. Adina followed it, puzzled by who it could be, "You must be Adina."  
  
"Excuse me, but who the hell are you?" Adina questioned, before noticing Delia was sitting at the table with the girl.  
  
"I'm Madison, your dad hired me to be Delia's babysitter," Madison announced. Adina studied her. She was tall and skinny, with shoulder length blonde hair and brown eyes. Adina couldn't help but be disgusted.  
  
"Why would he hire a babysitter?" Adina thought allowed, wondering if it was about the previous weekend's events.  
  
"You'd have to ask him," Madison shrugged, "Anyways, Delia has told me all about you."  
  
"Well, now that I'm home I don't think we'll be needing your help anymore tonight," Adina told Madison, but she didn't budge, "Meaning you can leave now."  
  
"Not until I finish making dinner," Madison explained motioning to the stove.  
  
"I think I can handle it, seeing as I've been the primary cook here for the last 6 months," Adina responded, folding her arms tightly against her chest, "Okay, Barbie?"  
  
"Excuse me?" Madison asked, surprised. Just then Ephram appeared in the kitchen, who didn't look too happy about seeing Madison either.  
  
"So I see you've met Madison," Ephram mumbled.  
  
"Unfortunately, yes," Adina said, sending a cold look in Madison's direction.  
  
"Alright guys, why don't you help Delia finish setting the table," Madison replied, handing Delia some silverware, before turning to the oven.  
  
"No way, you can't tell us what to do," Ephram responded, "So stop acting like your our babysitter."  
  
"I was hired to take care of things while your dads not around," Madison informed them and Adina rolled her eyes in response.  
  
"Yeah well, who do you think "takes care of things" the rest of the time?" Adina spat back.  
  
"I'm just doing my job," Madison replied, not ready to be defeated by them.  
  
"Yeah, well Delia is your job then, not us," Ephram reminded her, before storming out of the kitchen. Adina just lingered for a minute, giving Madison the dirtiest look she could muster.  
  
***  
  
"So what's your tragic flaw?" Adina asked Ephram, as they sat on the couch together the next night.  
  
"I don't know yet," Ephram answered, pondering it for a moment, "How about you?"  
  
"I think my tragic flaw would be my biting wit, or possibly my unavoidable charm," Adina joked, just as Madison entered the room.  
  
"Alright guys, you need to start working on your homework," Madison announced, turning off the TV.  
  
"Are you kidding me?" Ephram asked, turning to face her, "Did you listen to me at all last night, or are you too blonde to understand?"  
  
"Like I said before, I'm just doing what your dad is paying me for," Madison repeated, giving each of them a disapproving glance.  
  
"Ok, that's it, I can't take it anymore," Ephram said standing up, "Your done."  
  
"What?" Madison asked as Ephram pushed her towards the door. Adina got up and followed them.  
  
"You can go now. We will take care of our sister as we've been doing for years amazingly enough without your help. You can stop worrying about the fall of the Brown household, because you're fired," Ephram explained, leaving her speechless.  
  
"Your dad hired me," Madison stated matter-of-factly.  
  
"This isn't the first time we've had to correct his mistakes, and it won't be the last," Adina finally spoke up, "Oh, and some advice, I wouldn't use this as a reference."  
  
***  
  
"So how was your night, guys?" Dr. Brown asked as he entered his home. He was quite surprised to find his three children sitting in the kitchen eating ramen without the babysitter.  
  
"Where's Madison?" Andy asked, glancing around.  
  
"Ephram fired her," Delia answered sullenly.  
  
"Why?!?" Andy questioned surprised, "Delia, will you excuse us?" Delia nodded, and left the kitchen, with Adina quickly trailing her.  
  
"Not you Adina, you get to stay for this one," Andy told her, "I have a feeling you played a part in this as well. So what happened?"  
  
"The girl turned ten kinds of crazy on us. Power tripping like you wouldn't believe. Telling us what to do, what to eat. All very prison camp. Definitely not a positive influence for Delia," Ephram explained, Adina just nodded in agreement.  
  
"I can't believe you did this, do you understand how hard she was to find?" Andy asked, still puzzled by his children.  
  
"Dad, why did we need her anyway?" Adina had to ask.  
  
"You and I both know that lately, my confidence in you as a good rolemodel for Delia has really plunged," Andy answered, "I'm sorry, but right now, I think It'd be best if Delia had someone else taking care of her. I'm sorry, and I'm going to hire Madison back."  
  
"I can't believe this," Adina shook her head, storming up the stairs.  
  
***  
  
"I don't understand how you can like her, D," Adina told her sister that night as she brushed out her hair.  
  
"She's really nice, and fun, and she plays with me," Delia answered, "I still like you better if that's what you mean. I'll always like you the best."  
  
"I'm sorry Delia, I know that sometimes I don't have a lot of time for you, but that's part of growing up," Adina tried to explain, "It doesn't mean I love you any less."  
  
"I know, but is it okay if I like Madison?" Delia asked hopefully.  
  
"Of course, and I'll do my best to put up with her," Adina promised, leaning over to tuck in her sister, "As long as you promise to be mean to her sometimes."  
  
"Deal," Delia laughed.  
  
A/N: Hey guys, thanks for reading. The next chapter is almost done, and will be posted as soon as I get 5 reviews.  
  
Steph 


	15. Moving On

Blackness consumed the room as the darkest hour approached. Adina listened to the wind howling outside her window, and the placid sound of rain on the rooftop. She willed herself to sleep, but still her eyes lay open, focused on a photograph lying on her nightstand. No matter what she tried, the flashbacks wouldn't stop haunting her subconscious. Adina was used to them by now, but in no way welcomed them. She watched as everyone else in her family desperately tried to cling to every memory they had of Julia, but all she wanted to do was let go.  
  
Adina got out of bed, and absently turned on her laptop. Maybe someone would be online cramming for a test or something. As she flipped it open, she found a letter inside. It was a white envelope with her name scrawled in red pen on the front. There was no return address, just her name. Quickly, her nimble fingers tore it open, without a second's hesitation. A letter dropped out of the envelope, along with a picture. Setting the letter aside, Adina picked up the picture and studied it. It was a picture of the New York City skyline. Flipping it over, she realized a small note, carefully written on the back.  
  
"So you'll always have a little piece of home"  
  
She couldn't help but feel her heart flutter as she began to unfold the letter. The paper had a simple message, and she couldn't help but feel disappointed.  
  
Hey Adina, Sorry I couldn't write a longer letter, but midterms are earlier then usual this year, so I have zero time for anything but studying. Just so you know, I got a new number, 647-8903, feel free to call anytime, day or night.  
  
Love ya,  
Isabel x  
  
Adina grabbed the cordless phone, and silently crept out of her room, not wanting to wake Delia. She glided down the stairs, and laid down on the couch in the living room. Carefully, she dialed the number, but as she was about to hit the last digit she hesitated, and clicked off the phone. Maybe it was time she stopped running to Isabel for advice. Pondering things for a moment, Adina's mind was made. From now on, maybe it was time she should severe some of the ties she had with New York. She couldn't put it off any longer.  
  
***  
  
"So, I've lost count, how many times have you failed the driving test?" Adina joked, as she padded into the kitchen, still clad only in her Snoopy pajamas and slippers.  
  
"Let's see how well you do next year," Ephram replied, finishing his orange juice, "I bet you'll be hell on wheels."  
  
"I wouldn't rule it out" Adina laughed, pulling open the fridge, "But I bet I won't get cursed with mom's driving skills like you."  
  
"Yeah," Ephram said quietly. Suddenly the situation felt tense and awkward, as Adina fully realized what she had said.  
  
"So, good luck then," Adina smiled, "I hope you make it, even if I am terrified of your driving."  
  
"Well, thanks to Madison, I should do okay," Ephram responded, getting up from the table.  
  
"Wait, did I hear you right?" Adina asked, nearly dropping the carton of milk in her hands.  
  
"Yeah," Ephram nodded, "She's not so bad after all."  
  
"You're kidding me!" Adina gasped, "I thought we were united in hating the bimbo!"  
  
"C'mon Adina, give her a chance," Ephram sighed, grabbing his coat.  
  
"Your crazy," Adina glared, "Are you on drugs? I think I have reason to suspect."  
  
"I'll see you later," Ephram yelled back, continuing on his way out the door.  
  
***  
  
Adina took a deep breath of crisp, fall air as she made her way to the Abbott residence. She figured she'd see what Amy and Bright were up to, since there was nothing to do around the house. For some reason she had a good feeling about her decision. As she neared the house, she recognized Mrs. Abbott in the driveway.  
  
"Hello, Adina," She greeted.  
  
"Hi Mrs. Abbott," Adina smiled, "Are Amy and Bright home?"  
  
"Actually, no, Bright is at football practice, and I believe Amy said something about going to see your brother at the DMV," Rose explained.  
  
"Oh, okay," Adina nodded, "I should be getting home then. Have a good afternoon."  
  
"You too, dear," Rose replied, before heading back into the house. Adina kept walking, finding herself in the park.  
  
"Don't screw things up for yourself, Eph," Adina mumbled to herself as she leaned against a park bench, knowing why Amy would be looking for him. Just as she was about to go see if she could beat her old speed record for doing the monkey bars, Adina noticed Amy's car going by. Adina turned, and jogged back in the direction of the Abbott's.  
  
"Hey, Amy!" Adina shouted as she sprinted over, "How'd it go?"  
  
"How'd what go?" Amy asked, trying to play dumb.  
  
"Ephram's driving test," Adina stated, "Did he pass?"  
  
"Yeah actually," Amy nodded, "Tell him congratulations for me."  
  
"Why didn't you tell him?" Adina asked, cocking an eyebrow.  
  
"I..uh," Amy started, "He was a little to busy."  
  
"With what?" Adina questioned, but Amy looked away.  
  
"That girl.Madison," Amy said simply.  
  
"No way," Adina replied, hardly louder than a whisper, "I don't believe it. Are you saying he and Madison.?"  
  
"Yeah," Amy nodded, "I guess they're together now."  
  
"Damnit!" Adina muttered, "You okay?"  
  
"Why wouldn't I be?" Amy shrugged, "I'm perfectly fine."  
  
"Amy-," Adina began, but was cut off by her friend.  
  
"Nothings wrong, Adina, just let it go," Amy told her, "I'll talk to you later, okay?"  
  
"Alright," Adina surrendered, "I'll call you later."  
  
***  
  
Adina threw open the front door, instantly finding Ephram in the living room.  
  
"So, I heard you and Madison are some sort of item," Adina muttered, walking into the living room.  
  
"No, I just kissed her, that's all," Ephram replied, "Who told you that?" "It doesn't matter who told me," Adina said angrily, "What matters is you're a jerk!"  
  
"Why? What did I do?" Ephram questioned.  
  
"It's not my place to tell you," Adina responded, "So, how was kissing blondie?"  
  
"It was a total accident, she made it clear that it would never happen again," Ephram explained, "What's with you all of a sudden?"  
  
"Don't ask," Adina sighed, "Let's just forget it."  
  
"You know, I'll never get you," Ephram laughed.  
  
"Congrats by the way," Adina softened, "So now you have a license.to kill."  
  
"Sometimes I can't stand you," Ephram shook his head, before throwing a pillow in his little sister's direction.  
  
A/N: Sorry it took so long. Hopefully from now on the updates won't be so few and far between. Love you guys, and PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!!  
  
Also, check out my new fic "Broken Solace". 


	16. Clash of the Titans

"Sick," Adina rolled her eyes as she entered the living room, "Can't you do that somewhere else?"  
  
"Don't you have somewhere to be?" Ephram shouted, pulling away from Madison. He caught Adina's disgusted glance, but ignored it.  
  
"I'm sooo sorry for interrupting your precious make-out session," Adina said mockingly, "Well, go on, Madison, I know you're on the clock!" Adina turned to leave, only to be hit in the back of the head with a pillow.  
  
"Now get out," Ephram replied, waiting for his sister to leave.  
  
"Don't get snippy with me, Mr.," Adina scolded, "I mean, I'm sure dad would just love to know that your seeing Delia's babysitter. I just know he'd be thrilled!"  
  
"You wouldn't," Ephram responded nonchalantly, "I've got far too much dirt on you."  
  
"Whatever, jailbait," Adina brushed off his comment, "I'm not sticking around for your corruption. Have fun kids!" Adina grabbed her coat and walked towards the door.  
  
"Where are you going?" Madison suddenly spoke up, "Your supposed to be working on homework."  
  
"Excuse me?" Adina turned, a shocked expression on her face, "What right do you have to be telling me what to I'm supposed to be doing?"  
  
"Your dad left me in charge," Madison said, putting her hands on her hips.  
  
"My god," Adina scoffed, "Look at yourself! Your supposed to be babysitting Delia, and here you are shoving your tongue down Ephram's throat!"  
  
"That is none of your business," Madison told her sternly.  
  
"Okay, Miss Business Ethics 2003, I'm sorry I don't fit your standards," Adina scowled, "I'm going to Amy's, and I'll be back by 9. So don't worry your empty little head about it!" And with that, Adina stormed out of the house.  
  
"Ugh!" Madison shouted, "I cannot stand her!"  
  
"She's just trying to establish dominance," Ephram explained, "I mean, you did technically take over her role as Delia's "role model"."  
  
"Yeah, but still," Madison sighed, "Most teenagers would be happy to get rid of the responsibilities I took over for her."  
  
"Adina doesn't work that way," Ephram tried to elaborate, "She does what she has too, even if it means working her ass off. And if there's one thing she really hates, it's the feeling of giving up. Believe me, I've dealt with her for 15 years."  
  
"I just don't understand her," Madison commented, "And I guess I never will. When I was her age, I would have been grateful."  
  
"But you and Adina are very different people," Ephram replied, "You didn't have to deal with all the stuff that she has."  
  
"I guess," Madison shrugged, "I don't know, I just don't want to think about it anymore. I should probably get going anyways, you're dad should be home any minute."  
  
******  
  
"I just can't sand her!" Adina fumed as she plopped down on Amy's bed.  
  
"I know how you feel...I just can't stand my parents anymore," Amy sighed tiredly, "Everything is a battle in this house."  
  
"I was so close to getting rid of her," Adina pouted, "But now it's a hopeless cause because Ephram has to be such a dumbass."  
  
"What?" Amy asked, confused, but eager to hear about Ephram.  
  
"Oh you know, his whole weird thing with Madison," Adina mumbled, "I just wish he'd see her for what she really is."  
  
"And that is?" Amy laughed.  
  
"The anti-Christ," Adina smirked.  
  
"Your Jewish, you don't even believe in Christ," Amy pointed out.  
  
"I'm half Jewish," Adina corrected, "So for all intensive purposes, I believe in Jesus."  
  
"Good to know," Amy rolled her eyes, "You know how weird you are?"  
  
"Just weird enough," Adina laughed, "So where's Bright?"  
  
"I so knew you were going to ask that," Amy sneered, "He's probably somewhere around here."  
  
"Really?" Adina perked up, "I mean...alright, that's cool."  
  
"Yeah, yeah," Amy shook her head, "Don't even try to fake it, I know your itching to go see him."  
  
"No, I'm not!" Adina shot back, "I'm not one of those needy girlfriends that can't last a minute alone."  
  
"Yeah you are," Amy laughed, rolling off the bed, "Bright!"  
  
"Hey!" Adina yelled at Amy, "Why??"  
  
"Because I want to make you angry," Amy smiled, and continued to call her brother.  
  
"What do you want?" Bright said, annoyed, as he stuck his head into her room.  
  
"Nevermind," Amy answered, standing up, "I forgot." Bright gave her a confused glance, and then noticed Adina.  
  
"Hey," He smiled. Amy just rolled her eyes.  
  
A/N :Sorry for the lack of updates!! I know it's been forever, but here you go! Please review, and at least 5 reviews will result in a new chappie! 


	17. Chemical Party

"What's going on here?!?" Adina could hear her father yell from inside the house.  
  
"What was that?" Delia asked, looking up at her sister. Adina smiled to herself, and jerked her key from the lock.  
  
"Dad yelling at Ephram," Adina answered, turning away from the door, "It'll be awhile, so I think we should wait out here." Adina sat down on the porch steps, as did Delia.  
  
"What did Ephram do this time?" Delia questioned as she stuck her mitten- clad hands into her coat pockets.  
  
"Um...well," Adina tried to find the words, "Madison has secretly been Ephram's girlfriend for a while now and..."  
  
"Really?" Delia inquired. Adina just nodded in response, "Well why would Dad care?"  
  
"Because Madison is older than Ephram, and she's your babysitter," Adina explained, knowing it was hard for Delia to understand. Both girls could still here hushed yells coming from inside the house. Freezing winds swept by, and finally, Adina decided avoiding the fight wasn't worth frost bite. "Come on kiddo, we'll just sneak upstairs." Adina once again unlocked the door, and slowly pushed it open. Following her, Delia crept in silently. Carefully, the two tip toed towards the stairs, and made their way up.  
  
"Home free!" Delia whispered, as they continued towards their room. Just as they were about to enter, Ephram stormed past.  
  
"Wow," Adina bit her lip, "He looks mad."  
  
"Do you think we should try to cheer him up?" Delia asked giddily, an eager smile on her face.  
  
"No, Dee, we need to let him have his space," Adina explained, "How about we play Clue instead?"  
  
"I call Mrs. White!" Delia laughed, running to get the game.  
  
***  
  
"So Dad found out, huh?" Adina asked cautiously, as she got into Ephram's car.  
  
"Yeah," He nodded. She could tell he was still angry, and that maybe it wasn't the best subject for the ride to school.  
  
"Um...what do you want for Hanukah?" Adina changed the subject, "I'm thinking of getting Delia a sled. She's never been sledding...can you believe that?" Ephram stayed silent.  
  
"Remember when mom took us sledding?" A nostalgic smile crossed Adina's lips, "And you pushed me down the hill?"  
  
"Shut up," Ephram laughed, his mood lightening, "You tripped."  
  
"No! You totally pushed me!"Adina shot back defensivly.  
  
"Ok fine, but that was after you sprayed WD 40 on the bottom of my sled," Ephram replied, "On second thought, don't get her a sled." Adina smiled, remembering all the terrible things they did to each other as kids. A second winter memory crept into her head.  
  
"Remember on Christmas Eve when you convinced me aliens were going to abduct Santa?" Adina asked, still a little scarred from the event. Even though Hanukah was the main winter holiday for the Browns, they had always celebrated Christmas.  
  
"That was so funny," Ephram chuckled, "You slept under the Christmas tree with a baseball bat." (Author's Note: This was an event in my childhood. When I was like 7 my older brother, who was like 13, told me that aliens were going to abduct Santa when he came to our house. I was horrified for weeks.)  
  
***  
  
"It's nice," Adina nodded, as she looked around Amy' new room. Winter break had just started, and Amy had invited Adina over for a little "house warming" party. Well it wasn't really a party, considering it was only the two of them. But pizza and chick flicks were abundant, so it was still worthwhile.  
  
"Yeah," Amy nodded, "And you wouldn't believe how much more freedom I have now! I can do what I want, go where I want, date who I want."  
  
"And your parents are okay with this?" Adina asked while she traced a finger across the wallpaper border.  
  
"They're kind of pissed," Amy informed her, "But you know, for once, not everything is about them. They have no idea what I'm going through right now."  
  
"I know how that is," Adina sympathized, patting Amy on the shoulder. Suddenly there was a knock at the window. Amy smiled, and scrambled over to it.  
  
"Hey Tommy!" She said, opening it.  
  
"You ready to go?" He asked, obviously a tiny bit tipsy already.  
  
"Yeah sure," Amy nodded, "Adina, c'mon." Adina stood up, and looked at them, genuinely confused. She had never met Tommy before, but he sure didn't look like Amy's "type".  
  
"Um...where are we going?" Adina asked as she climbed through the window after Amy. Tommy offered his hand, but Adina ignore him. He gave her a sly smile, and Adina couldn't help but feel disgusted. She didn't mean to be a priss...but this guy just wasn't good news.  
  
"This awesome party in Boulder," Tommy explained, leading them to his car. Adina reluctantly got into the back seat, knowing that she was making a bad decision. But she felt that letting Amy go alone wasn't a good idea either. After about an hour of driving down the interstate, Tommy pulled onto a desolate looking dirt road. Towards the end of the road was an old, falling apart Victorian home. The yard was littered with cars and beer cans, and music was turned up so loud it nearly rocked the house.  
  
"Here we are," Tommy announced, parking the car. Amy and Adina cautiously got out of the car, both nervous. People were every where, and a good ¾ of them were obviously plastered or tripping on something. For the first time Adina noticed Amy's discomfort.  
  
"Maybe we should leave," Adina told Amy as they finally made their way into the central part of the house. Unfortunately Tommy heard her.  
  
"We just got here!" He laughed, "Just relax, and I guarantee you'll have fun." Adina rolled her eyes, and was about to grab Amy's arm and pull her out of the ramshackle home, when she noticed Tommy was already dragging her off to God knows where.  
  
"Great, just great," Adina muttered to herself, as she glanced around the room. A year ago she would have been crowd surfing or mingling, but now? She just felt like running out the nearest door. Glancing at her cell phone she wondered if she should call her Dad, or maybe Ephram. Then she remembered that her Dad would kill her, and her brother was grounded meaning he didn't have his cell phone with him. Her mind then turned to Bright. Surely Bright would pick her up...but then he would know about Amy. Adina knew that things were already sour between Bright and Amy, and she didn't want to worsen things. So she decided to stick around. Hopefully the hours would pass by quickly, and she'd be on the road home before she knew it.  
  
Regrettably it didn't work that way. The hours crawled by, and Adina had eventually decided to explore her surroundings. After seeing a drug deal in the kitchen, she determined that wasn't the best idea. She took a seat on the stairs and watched the party goers get drunker by the hour. As she studied a crowd that had just entered the house, she noticed someone familiar. No matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't place his face. He was tall, with dark shaggy "rocker" hair, and light hazel eyes. Needless to say, he was handsome, and unlike most of the people in the room, he wasn't holding a joint or a beer bottle. In fact, besides for Adina, he was probably the only other sober person in the room. Adina stood up, knowing she had to talk to him. Slowly, she walked by him, brushing passed him. A drunken blonde girl suddenly knocked into her, hitting her into him. Silently, Adina thanked god for the mishap.  
  
"I'm so sorry," Adina blushed, looking up at the man. He smiled at her and turned away from the crowd.  
  
"No problem," He replied nervously. It was then Adina noticed the scar near his eyebrow. Instantly, she knew who he was.  
  
"Ford!" She yelled, wrapping her arms around his neck. He hugged her back, lifting her off the floor.  
  
"Adina Brown," He sighed when he finally let her go, "I never thought I'd see you again. What are you doing here?"  
  
"Chris never told you?" She inquired, surprised, "I moved here last spring."  
  
"Wow, really?" He said surprised, his hand still placed protectively on her back.  
  
"Well...not to Boulder, I actually live in Everwood," Adina explained, "So what are you doing here?" Adina still couldn't believe she was looking at the one and only Ford McMillan, Chris's older brother.  
  
"I'm going to Boulder University," He answered, "I still can't believe that your little Dina Brown, you look so different."  
  
"Thanks," Adina smiled, "You look good too. How's Jackie by the way?" Adina had remembered Ford having a girlfriend, Jackie Fairfax. Jackie had been one of the smartest students at Eastland; obviously one of Isabel's many academically gifted friends. Adina never did like her much.  
  
"We...broke up a while back," Ford answered uncomfortably. Adina instantly bit her tongue.  
  
"I'm sorry," She began, but Ford stopped her.  
  
"Don't worry about it," Ford smiled, "We just decided to go our separate ways. She was going to NYU, and we just couldn't take the distance."  
  
"I understand," Adina nodded, "Yeah, so how's Chris?"  
  
"He's good, the team might actually make it to state this year," Ford bragged, referring to Eastland's football team, which Chris played for. "He's engaged to Maria Klein actually."  
  
"You're kidding me!" Adina gasped, it wasn't too uncommon for seniors at Eastland to end up engaged before the year ended.  
  
"No, they're getting married this summer," Ford informed her, "Hopefully you'll make it back to New York for that. Maria's got this huge ceremony planned and everything. You should see how bad Chris is freaking out. He's loving every minute of it though, so I'm happy for him."  
  
"Well that's good," Adina forced a smile, "Maria really is a nice girl." Inside, Adina was cursing Maria's name. She wanted Chris to be happy, and she assured herself that she had moved on. She had Bright anyways. Good for Chris. Good for Maria.  
  
A/N: After this chapter I might end up skipping around quite a bit. But as usual, I will stay true to what's going on with the show, for the most part. Some twists ahead :D As always, I really would love to hear your comments/questions/requests/ideas/feelings. If there are any ideas or plots you really want to see in this fic, send me an email at Ocstarreyed@aol.com, or simply review.  
  
Again, REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! 


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